Lantern: Light With a Case Around It
A lantern is a portable light protected by a case. The word also names a glass tower on a roof and the first image projector.
A lantern is a light in a protective case, so it can be carried or hung outdoors. The case is the whole point: a candle in the open blows out, a candle in a lantern does not. Architecture borrowed the word for the glazed structure on top of a dome, and the *magic lantern* was the first machine to throw a picture onto a wall.
- A portable protected light. *A storm lantern.*
- A glazed structure on a roof. *The lantern above the dome.*
- Jack-o'-lantern β a carved pumpkin lamp. *Jack-o'-lanterns on the step.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | lantern | An old lantern. |
| Plural | lanterns | Paper lanterns. |
| Compound | lantern jaw | A lantern jaw. |
| Compound | magic lantern | A magic lantern show. |
| Related | lamp | An oil lamp. |
How it is used in a sentence
- They hung paper lanterns along the path.Decorative use.
- A storm lantern burns in wind and rain.Designed for weather.
- The magic lantern projected painted slides.From the seventeenth century onwards.
Lanterns around the world
- ChΕchin β collapsible Japanese paper lantern
- Sky lantern β a small hot-air balloon of paper
- Storm lantern β an oil lamp built to resist wind
- Jack-o'-lantern β a carved vegetable lamp, originally a turnip
- Lighthouse lantern β the glazed room holding the light
From Old French *lanterne*, from Latin *lanterna*, from Greek *lampter*, a torch, from *lampein*, to shine β the same root as *lamp*.
Were jack-o'-lanterns always pumpkins?
No. In Ireland and Scotland they were carved from turnips. Pumpkins were adopted in North America because they are larger and easier to cut.
What was a magic lantern?
An early projector that threw painted or photographic slides onto a screen using a lamp and a lens. It was popular entertainment for two centuries.