magic lantern

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

noun

1. an early type of slide projector Sometimes shortened tolantern

Word History and Origins

Origin of magic lantern¹

First recorded in 1690–1700

Example Sentences

Molotov's Magic Lantern is a worthy addition to the growing canon of Russophile literature.

From The Daily Beast

Fans of Garton Ash should also seek his superb work of reportage, The Magic Lantern, on what he saw and experienced in 1989.

From The Daily Beast

We may best give our reader a glimpse of our meaning, if we compare a spirit to a picture projected on a sheet by a magic lantern.

From Project Gutenberg

Poetry produces an illusion on the eye of the mind, as a magic lantern produces an illusion on the eye of the body.

From Project Gutenberg

The turkey, the magic lantern, the Punch and Judy show were all there, the last with a crowd before it in gaping delight.

From Project Gutenberg

But Father Kircher's surest claim to being a practical genius is to be found in his invention of the magic lantern.

From Project Gutenberg

I have known him to slip away and spend the entire evening at a little magic lantern show intended for children.

From Project Gutenberg