jack-o'-lantern

[ jak-uh-lan-tern ]

noun

1. a hollowed pumpkin with openings cut to represent human eyes, nose, and mouth and in which a candle or other light may be placed, traditionally made for display at Halloween.
2. a commercially made lantern resembling this.
3. any phenomenon of light, as a corona discharge or an ignis fatuus.
4. a poisonous luminescent orange fungus, Omphalotus olearius, often found in clusters at the base of hardwood tree stumps.

jack-o'-lantern

noun

1. a lantern made from a hollowed pumpkin, which has holes cut in it to represent a human face
2. a will-o'-the-wisp or similar phenomenon

Word History and Origins

Origin of jack-o'-lantern¹

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

“I’m David Pumpkins,” Hanks — dressed in a jack-o'-lantern suit — announced to cheers from the crowd.

From Los Angeles Times

As the popularity of items like theirs Knuckle Head Pumpkins reveals, Super Freak pumpkins are amazing jack-o'-lantern material.

From Salon

Several pictures, notably a nighttime scene of a beaming jack-o'-lantern and its reflection in a window, are tightly focused, dramatically lighted and composed.

From Washington Post

Prepare one in the usual way by cutting off the top and scooping out the inside, but instead of carving the pumpkin into a jack-o'-lantern, plop a jar with water and flowers inside.

From Salon

Zoo guest Michelle Wolfe stopped by the zoo’s Tiger Crossroads exhibit in October 2019, where she got to see a Sumatran tiger’s attempt at carrying a jack-o'-lantern, according to South West News Service.

From Fox News

Related Words

• fruit
• squash