lantern
Americannoun
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a transparent or translucent, usually portable, case for enclosing a light and protecting it from the wind, rain, etc.
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the chamber at the top of a lighthouse, surrounding the light.
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Architecture.
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a tall, more or less open construction admitting light to an enclosed area below.
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any light, decorative structure of relatively small size crowning a roof, dome, etc.
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an open-sided structure on a roof to let out smoke or to assist ventilation.
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a light, usually over the entrance to an elevator on each floor of a multistory building, that signals the approach of the elevator.
noun
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a light with a transparent or translucent protective case
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a structure on top of a dome or roof having openings or windows to admit light or air
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the upper part of a lighthouse that houses the light
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photog short for magic lantern
Etymology
Origin of lantern
1250–1300; Middle English lanterne < Latin lanterna (< Etruscan ) < Greek lamptḗr lamp, light
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Diogenes the Cynic famously carried a lantern searching for an honest man.
A giant Japanese lantern floats above them like an orb.
From Los Angeles Times
Citrus lingers — oranges, grapefruit, tangerines — holding onto the last of their brightness like a lantern carried through fog.
From Salon
Right after supper, while Papa was putting some coal oil in the lantern, I went to the tool shed and got a pick and shovel.
From Literature
According to the Marine Conservation Society, more than 100 local authorities across the UK have banned balloon or lantern releases.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
