- Jack-o'-lantern
- Jack-o'-lantern Jack"-o'-lan`tern, Jack-with-a-lantern
Jack"-with-a-lan`tern, n.
1. (Biol.) A large orange-colored luminescent mushroom,
{Clitocybe illudens}, also classified as {Omphalotus
olearius}. It is poisonous and is sometimes found on
hardwood tree stumps. [WordNet sense 1]
Syn: jack-a-lantern, {Clitocybe illudens}. [WordNet 1.5 +PJC]
2. a pale light sometimes seen at night over marshy ground; an {ignis fatuus}; a will-o'-the-wisp. [WordNet sense 2]``[Newspaper speculations] supplying so many more jack-o'-lanterns to the future historian.'' --Lowell.
Syn: friar's lantern, ignis fatuus, will-o'-the-wisp. [WordNet 1.5]
3. A lantern carved from a hollowed-out pumpkin, with holes cut in the rind and so shaped that when it is illuminated by a candle inside, the features of a human face, cat's face, etc. appear in a glowing yellow color. It is used mostly as a decoration at Halloween. [WordNet 1.5 +PJC]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
