jack-o'-lantern
UK /ˈdʒæk.əʊˌlæn.tən/ · US /ˈdʒæk.oʊˌlæn.təɹn/ noun
Forms jack-o'-lanterns jack-o-lantern jack o'lantern
- noun A carved pumpkin whose top and stem have been cut out and interior removed, leaving a hollow shell that is then decorated to represent a face, illuminated from within by a candle. It is a symbol of Halloween.
- noun A similar item made from a turnip.
- noun (archaic) A will o' the wisp.
Synonyms
ignis fatuus hinkypunk Joan the wad hobby lantern peg-a-lantern Will the Smith Pinket Will o' the Wikes Jack-with-a-lantern friar's lantern will-o'-the-wisp
Etymology
Originally, a night watchman who carried a lantern (originally made from a turnip; see neep lantern). See Jack. First attested as a term for ignis fatuus in English folklore in the 1660s, mostly in East Anglia but also in southwestern England. The sense of a carved pumpkin (sense 1) is first attested in 1834.
Webster’s 1913
- noun See Jack-with-a-lantern, under 2d Jack. JACKPOT Jackpot
- noun 1. (a) See "jack pot" under jack; (b) any larger-than-usual gambling prize formed by the accumulation of unwon bets[=MW10 1(a)(2) and 1(c)]; (c) the highest gambling prize awarded in a gambling game in which smaller prizes are also awarded, especially such a prize on a slot machine.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “jack-o'-lantern”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details