A kind of cage inserted in a stuffing box and surrounding a piston rod, to separate the packing into two parts and form a chamber between for the reception of steam, etc.; a lantern brass.
Middle English lanterne (13th century), via Old French lanterne from Latin lanterna ("lantern"), itself a corruption of Ancient Greek λαμπτήρ ("torch") (see lamp, λάμπω) by influence of Latin lucerna ("lamp"). The spelling lanthorn was current during the 16th to 19th centuries and originates with a folk etymology associating the word with the use of horn as translucent cover. For the verb, compare French lanterner to hang at the lamppost.
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