A lantern is a portable light source with a protective case around the flame or bulb. Think of it as a light you can carry that won't blow out in the wind or start a fire if it tips over.

Before electric lights, lanterns were essential tools. People carried them through dark streets, hung them in barns, or used them to signal ships at sea. The famous midnight ride of Paul Revere in 1775 involved lanterns hung in a church tower: “One if by land, two if by sea.” That signal told colonists how British troops were approaching.

Traditional lanterns used candles or oil for fuel, with glass or thin animal horn protecting the flame. Modern lanterns might use batteries, propane gas, or even solar power. Campers still use lanterns today because they light up a whole tent or campsite, unlike a flashlight's narrow beam.

The word can also describe anything shaped like a lantern. In architecture, a lantern is a windowed tower on top of a dome that lets light stream into the building below. Some Halloween decorations are called jack-o'-lanterns because they're carved pumpkins with candles inside, glowing like portable lights.