barghests
|bar-ghest|
🇺🇸
/ˈbɑrɡɛst/
🇬🇧
/ˈbɑːɡɛst/
(barghest)
ghostly omen-dog
Etymology
'barghest' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'bargest' or 'barghest', where the element 'ghest' (from Old English 'gæst') meant 'spirit' or 'ghost'.
'barghest' changed from Middle English forms like 'bargest' or 'barghest' (regional dialectal variants) and eventually became the modern English folklore term 'barghest'. The second element traces to Old English 'gæst' and is related to German 'Geist'.
Initially it referred broadly to a 'spirit' or 'ghost' element, but over time it evolved into a specific folkloric creature: a monstrous dog-like apparition and omen of death.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a monstrous, often spectral black dog from northern English folklore, said to haunt lonely roads and be an omen of death.
Barghests were said to appear on country roads as a sign of impending misfortune.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a regional term for any large, mysterious doglike apparition or spirit in local folklore.
In some villages the term barghests was used broadly for any strange, doglike apparition.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/16 05:18