ghosts
|ghosts|
🇺🇸
/ˈɡoʊst/
🇬🇧
/ˈɡəʊst/
(ghost)
spirit or apparition
Etymology
'ghost' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'gāst', where 'gāst' meant 'spirit, breath, soul'.
'ghost' changed from Old English 'gāst' (from Proto-Germanic '*gaistaz') and eventually became the modern English word 'ghost' (influenced by related Germanic words such as German 'Geist').
Initially, it referred broadly to 'breath, life, spirit' and could denote both good and evil spirits; over time it came to be used primarily for the spirit of a dead person or an apparition.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'ghost': the spirit or soul of a dead person or animal, often imagined as appearing to the living.
The old mansion is said to be full of ghosts.
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Noun 2
figurative: faint traces or reminders of something from the past (e.g. 'ghosts of former glory').
Only ghosts of the old industry remain in the town.
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Last updated: 2025/12/19 07:12