Definition

Noun: 1. A portable light source with a protective case: A lantern is a device, often with a handle, designed to protect and carry a source of light (such as a candle, oil flame, or electric bulb). Its case is typically made of transparent or translucent material like glass, paper, or horn, and it often has metal framing. 2. An architectural feature: In architecture, a lantern is a small, often decorative, structure with windows on top of a dome or roof to admit light into the space below.

Examples

• Portable light source:
  • The campers used a lantern to light their way back to the tent.
  • During the festival, the streets were filled with the warm glow of paper lanterns.
  • She hung an old-fashioned oil lantern on the porch.
• Architectural feature:
  • The dome of the cathedral is crowned by a beautiful stone lantern.

Advanced Usage

• "Chinese lantern": A collapsible lantern made of thin, brightly colored paper.
  • They decorated the garden with red and gold Chinese lanterns for the party.
• "Magic lantern": An early type of image projector.
  • Before movies, people were entertained by shows using a magic lantern.

Variants and Related Words

• Lanternfish (n): A type of deep-sea fish with light-producing organs.
• Lantern jaw (n): A long, thin jaw that gives the face a hollow look.
  • The actor was known for his distinctive lantern jaw.

Synonyms

• Lamp: A device for giving light, typically using electricity or oil. (More general; a lantern is a specific, often portable, type of lamp.)
• Torch (British English): A portable battery-powered electric light. (In American English, "torch" usually means a flaming stick.)

Related Phrases

• "Lantern slide": A transparent photograph on glass for projection by a magic lantern.
• "Lantern festival": A festival where lanterns are a central feature, such as the traditional Chinese Lantern Festival.

Idioms

• "A lantern in the dark": A symbol of hope, guidance, or knowledge in a difficult or confusing situation.
  • Her wise advice was a lantern in the dark for me during that crisis.

Noun

1. light in a transparent protective case