Everyday LifeGreek → English
Lantern
/ˈlæntərn/noun
A portable case of glass or horn holding a light, made so wind cannot put it out.
The Greek roots
λαμπτήρ
lamptḗr
torch, lamp stand
Literally: “thing that shines”
Follow a root:λαμπτήρ1 word
The story of the word
From lamptḗr, a torch or the stand that held one, by way of Latin lanterna, which acquired an n that nobody has convincingly explained. English wrote it lanthorn for three centuries because the translucent panes really were made of scraped horn, a folk etymology so sensible it outlived the technology. Lamp is the same Greek verb, lámpō, to shine, taken by a shorter road.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → Old French → English
- First recorded
- 13th century
Same family
lamplampooneclampsia
In a sentence
He hung a lantern on the gatepost so the taxi could find the house.
The paper lanterns lasted until the first serious gust.