lantern








noun

  1. a transparent or translucent, usually portable, case for enclosing a light and protecting it from the wind, rain, etc.
  2. the chamber at the top of a lighthouse, surrounding the light.
  3. magic lantern.
  4. Architecture.
    1. a tall, more or less open construction admitting light to an enclosed area below.
    2. any light, decorative structure of relatively small size crowning a roof, dome, etc.
    3. an open-sided structure on a roof to let out smoke or to assist ventilation.
  5. a light, usually over the entrance to an elevator on each floor of a multistory building, that signals the approach of the elevator.

noun

  1. a light with a transparent or translucent protective case
  2. a structure on top of a dome or roof having openings or windows to admit light or air
  3. the upper part of a lighthouse that houses the light
  4. photog short for magic lantern

n.mid-13c., from Old French lanterne “lamp, lantern, light” (12c.), from Latin lanterna “lantern, lamp, torch,” altered (by influence of Latin lucerna “lamp”) from Greek lampter “torch,” from lampein “to shine” (see lamp). Variant lanthorn (16c.-19c.) was folk etymology based on the common use of horn as a translucent cover. Lantern-jaws “hollow, long cheeks” is from a resemblance noted since at least mid-14c.

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