magic lantern

English

A 19th century magic lantern

Etymology

Calque of Latin lanterna magica.

Noun

magic lantern (plural magic lanterns)

1. (historical) An early light projector and precursor to the slide projector that could achieve simple animation by moving and merging images.
   • 1943, H. Lorna Bingham, The Lost Tribe, Sydney: Winn and Co., page 23, column 1:

     "You know how that trick was, don't you Dan?" said Bob, "it was a magic lantern."

2. (dated) A slide projector.

Related terms

• lantern slide
• magic lantern show

Translations

early light projector

• Dutch: toverlantaarn (nl) f
• Finnish: taikalyhty (fi)
• French: lanterne magique (fr) f
• German: Laterna magica (de), Skioptikon n
• Hungarian: laterna magica, bűvös lámpás
• Irish: laindéar draíochta m
• Italian: lanterna magica f
• Japanese: 幻灯 (ja) (gentō)
• Latin: lanterna magica f
• Persian: لنتر ماژیک (lanter-mâžik)
• Polish: latarnia projekcyjna f
• Portuguese: lanterna mágica f
• Romanian: lanternă magică (ro) f
• Russian: волше́бный фона́рь m (volšébnyj fonárʹ)
• Spanish: linterna mágica f

See also

• zoetrope
• praxinoscope
• phenakistoscope