Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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noun
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
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.
A similar item made from a turnip.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A will o' the wisp.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: ignis fatuus, hinkypunk, Joan the wad, hobby lantern, peg-a-lantern, Will the Smith, Pinket, Will o' the Wikes, Jack-with-a-lantern
Antonyms: none provided
noun
lantern carved from a pumpkin
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: lantern
noun
a pale light sometimes seen at night over marshy ground
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: friar's lantern, ignis fatuus, will-o'-the-wisp
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: light, visible light, visible radiation
History
Originally, a night watchman who carried a lantern (originally made from a turnip; see neep lantern).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.
Across languages
44 source translations are retained for this English entry.
