Fantasm
/ˈfæn.tæz.əm/noun
A ghostly image, illusion, or apparition; also a mental fantasy or unreal vision.
Did you know?Its lineage runs through Greek phantasma, a “thing made visible” or apparition, which later fed a whole family of words about illusion, imagination, and haunting appearances.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
phantasma
“an appearance, apparition, or phantom image”
Late Latin
Latin
phantasma
“a ghostly image or illusion”
Old French
Old French
fantosme
“a phantom, specter, or illusion”
Middle English
English
fantasme
“an apparition or illusion”
Modern English
English
fantasm
“a ghostly image, illusion, or apparition”
Explore more surprising origins