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Synonyms

magic lantern

American  

noun

  1. a device having an enclosed lamp and a lenslike opening, formerly used for projecting and magnifying images mounted on slides or films.


magic lantern British  

noun

  1. Sometimes shortened to: lantern.  an early type of slide projector

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of magic lantern

First recorded in 1690–1700

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

In his downtime he would travel by horse and buggy across Pennsylvania and neighboring states with what he called his "exhibition": a new-fangled Edison phonograph, a magic lantern slide projector and later on, movies.

From Barron's Apr. 13, 2026

It sprinkles the open parts of the interior with sunlight during the day and glows like a magic lantern at night.

From Slate Nov. 22, 2017

It’s a magic lantern slide that was shown to patients, like a sort of early Rorschach inkblot.

From Washington Post Mar. 27, 2017

On the magic lantern of his ancient Moviola screen, Andy Warhol sprang to life once more – brick-red polo-neck, slacks, wig.

From The Guardian Aug. 14, 2015

It was a darkened magic lantern show, fantastical and all-embracing.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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