English

Alternative forms

• jack-o'-lantern

Noun

Jack o’ lantern ‎(plural jack o'lanterns)

1. (idiomatic, English folklore) will o' the wisp, a strange light that attracts travellers
2. (US, tradition) 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.

Synonyms

• (strange light): ignis fatuus, will o' the wisp, hinkypunk (West Country), Joan the wad (West Country), hobby lantern, (Hertfordshire, East Anglia), peg-a-lantern (Lancashire), Will the Smith (Shropshire), Pinket (Worcestershire), Will o' the Wikes (Norfolk)