English Explanatory Dictionary

jack-o'-lantern

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. 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.
  2. A similar item made from a turnip.
  3. A will o' the wisp.

Pronunciation

/ˈdʒæk.əʊˌlæn.tən/ /ˈdʒæk.oʊˌlæn.təɹn/ /ˈdʒæk.əˌlæn.təɹn/ en-us-jack-o'-lantern.ogg en-au-jack-o'-lantern.ogg

Word forms

jack-o'-lantern jack-o'-lanterns jack-o-lantern jack o'lantern

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Originally, a night watchman who carried a lantern (originally made from a turnip; see neep lantern).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.

Synonyms

ignis fatuus hinkypunk Joan the wad hobby lantern peg-a-lantern Will the Smith Pinket Will o' the Wikes Jack-with-a-lantern

Translations

Arabic: قرعة مضيئة Armenian: Դդմից լապտեր Azerbaijani: cek fənəri Belarusian: свяцільня Джэка Bulgarian: ти́квен фене́р Chinese Mandarin: 南瓜燈 /南瓜灯 Chinese Mandarin: 傑克南瓜燈 /杰克南瓜灯 Danish: græskarhoved Dutch: jack-o'-lantern Estonian: kõrvitslatern Finnish: kurpitsalyhty French: citrouille d'Halloween French: citrouille-lanterne French: Jack-o’-lantern French: lanterne-citrouille Georgian: მნათობი ჯეკი German: Halloween-Kürbis German: Jack mit der Laterne German: Jack O’Lantern Greek: τζακ ο’ λάντερν Hebrew: ג׳ק־או־לנטרן Hungarian: töklámpás Irish: Seán na gealaí Italian: zucca di Halloween Italian: Jack-o'-lantern Italian: Jack della lanterna Italian: lanterna di zucca Japanese: ジャックオランタン Korean: 잭오랜턴 Korean: 호박등 Malay: tanglung labu Norman: balle-à-leunettes Norwegian Nynorsk: Jack-o'-lantern Polish: latarnia z dyni Portuguese: coca Russian: Светильник Джек Russian: фонарь из тыквы Serbo-Croatian: Џек-о'-Лантерн Spanish: calabaza de Halloween Spanish: calabaza Thai: แจ็กโอแลนเทิร์น Ukrainian: Ліхтар Джека Ukrainian: світи́льник Дже́ка Welsh: jac lantar
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