jack-o'-lantern

thumb|A traditional American jack-o'-lantern, made from a pumpkin, lit from within by a [[candle]] thumb|A picture carved onto a jack-o'-lantern for Halloween

A '''jack-o'-lantern (or jack o'lantern''') is a carved lantern, most commonly made from a pumpkin, or formerly a root vegetable such as a mangelwurzel, rutabaga or turnip. Jack-o'-lanterns are associated with the Halloween holiday. Its name comes from the phenomenon of strange lights flickering over peat bogs, called ''jack-o'-lanterns (also known as will-o'-the-wisps''). It is suggested that the name also has ties to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, a drunkard who, after deceiving people throughout his life and even Satan, is doomed to roam the Earth with only a hollowed turnip to light his way.