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jack o'lantern

A vegetable, usually a pumpkin, but alternatively a turnip, carved into the form of a face and lighted within by a candle. Associated chiefly with the holiday Halloween.

Etymology:

  • Jack + o' + lantern.
  • 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 carved pumpkin in American English is attested in 1834.
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Submitted on July 07, 2010

Additional definitions for 'jack o'lantern':

jack o'lanternwill o' the wisp, a strange light that attracts travellers
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jack o'lantern

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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to jack o'lantern

Jack Tarjack upjack aroundevery jack has his jilljack itjack offjack it infuck you, Jack, I'm alrightjack injack of all trades, master of none!jack upjack upjack injack it

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