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🎃 A carved pumpkin 🍄 A poisonous mushroom 👻 A ghostly light
jack-o'-lantern

jack-o'-lantern

8.5
A pale light seen at night over wet ground in old stories
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒæk oʊ ˈlæn tərn/
  • Archaic
translation icon : luz de los muertos
  • We caught a glimpse of a jack-o'-lantern flickering above the bog.

Examples

  • Scientists have tried to explain the jack-o'-lantern as a result of marsh gases.

  • Have you ever seen a jack-o'-lantern glowing at night?

  • Legends say the jack-o'-lantern leads travelers astray at night.

  • Many believe a jack-o'-lantern can ward off evil spirits.

  • In the dark, we saw a mysterious jack-o'-lantern hovering over the marsh.

  • Folklore describes the jack-o'-lantern as a flickering light that leads people into danger.

  • During our hike, we witnessed a soft jack-o'-lantern glow above the muddy ground.

Synonyms

will-o'-the-wisp
vsjack-o'-lantern
  • Literature
1 9.9

A pale flickering light that appears at night over marshes

is similar but highlights folklore and spirit explanations
friar's lantern
vsjack-o'-lantern
  • Archaic
9.9

A pale, flickering light that appears at night over marshy ground

is similar but presents both spirit and natural explanations
marsh light
vsjack-o'-lantern
  • Literature
9.9

A faint mysterious light that appears over wet ground at night

is the same but emphasizes belief in spirits or natural causes
ignis fatuus
vsjack-o'-lantern
  • Archaic
9.9

A small, strange light that appears over wet ground and may lead people the wrong way

is the literal night light believed to stem from spirits or nature

Surface Forms

jack-o'-lantern singular
jack-o'-lanterns plural

Morphology

jack-o'-lantern = jack + lantern (semi-transparent) = jack + o' + lantern

The components signal a personified or named light (jack + lantern), so the sense referring to a mysterious light is somewhat inferable though culturally specific.

Etymology

Jack-o'-lantern comes from an old phrase made of Jack, o' and lantern, meaning 'Jack with a lantern'. It was used for a pale, moving light seen over marshes at night, which is why a jack-o'-lantern is a mysterious night light that people once said would lead travelers away.