ghost
n. countablen. the spirit of a dead person that someone believes they can see or hear. It is often used in stories to describe a pale, see-through figure that haunts a house.
n. the soul or spirit of a deceased person, typically conceptualised as a visible image or nebulous presence. Often used in literary contexts to represent memory or the lingering effects of the past.
The old castle is famous for its resident ghost.
Many people claim to have seen a ghost in the hallway of the historic hotel, but no one has ever captured a clear photo.
The protagonist is haunted by the ghost of his former self, a literary device used to illustrate the profound regret he feels regarding his earlier life choices.
The noun is derived from Middle English gost, from Old English gāst, gǣst (“breath, spirit, soul, ghost”) (compare modern English Holy Ghost), from Proto-West Germanic gaist, from Proto-Germanic gaistaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰéysdos, from ǵʰéysd- (“anger, agitation”). The h in the spelling appears in the Prologue to William Caxton’s Royal Book, printed in 1484, in a reference to the “Holy Ghoost”. It was likely influenced by Middle Dutch gheest, a common variant of geest. Both Caxton and his assistant Wynkyn de Worde had connections to the Low Countries. Doublet of geist. The adjective and verb are derived from the noun. The verb gained prominence in the 2010s. cognates * Danish gast (“ghost”), gejst (“enthusiasm”) * Dutch geest (“ghost, spirit”) * German Geist (“ghost, spirit”) * Luxembourgish Geescht (“ghost, spirit, spectre, phantom”) * Saterland Frisian Gäist, Jeest (“ghost, spirit”) * Scots gaist, ghaist (“ghost”) * Swedish gast (“ghost”) * Vilamovian gȧjst (“ghost, spirit”) * West Frisian geast (“ghost, spirit”) * Yiddish גײַסט (gayst, “ghost, spirit”) * Yola gaast (“ghost”)
Commonly functions as a modifier in compound nouns like 'ghost story' or 'ghost town'.
- 01
ghost at the feast
A presence that mars one's enjoyment by causing guilt or reviving unwelcome memories.
- 02
ghost from one's past
Something unpleasant from one's past that "haunts" them (makes them feel uneasy) to the present day.
- 03
ghost home
A residence intentionally kept vacant by an absentee owner, especially a foreign investor, as a financially safe asset to be liquidated at a convenient time.