jack-o'-lantern

== English == === Alternative forms === jack-o-lantern, jack o'lantern, Jack O'Lantern === Etymology === Originally, a night watchman who carried a lantern (originally made from a turnip; see neep lantern).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. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈdʒæk.əʊˌlæn.tən/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈdʒæk.oʊˌlæn.təɹn/, /ˈdʒæk.əˌlæn.təɹn/ Hyphenation: jack-o'-lan‧tern === Noun === jack-o'-lantern (plural jack-o'-lanterns) 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. [from 1830s] A similar item made from a turnip. (archaic) A will o' the wisp. [from 1660s] Synonyms: ignis fatuus, (West Country) hinkypunk, (West Country) Joan the wad, (Hertfordshire, East Anglia) hobby lantern, (Lancashire) peg-a-lantern, (Shropshire) Will the Smith, (Worcestershire) Pinket, (Norfolk) Will o' the Wikes, (archaic) Jack-with-a-lantern ==== Descendants ==== → Japanese: ジャックオランタン (jakku-o-rantan) → Korean: 잭오랜턴 (jaeg-o-raenteon) ==== Translations ==== ==== Further reading ==== jack-o'-lantern on Wikipedia.Wikipedia