Ghost
/ɡoʊst/noun
The spirit of a dead person that appears to the living.
Did you know?The Old English 'gāst', originally tied to breath, reflects how ancient cultures viewed spirits as the essence of life itself.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʰeis-
“to breathe or to be excited”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ψυχή (psukhē)
“breath, spirit, or soul”
Old English
Old English
gāst
“spirit, breath, or soul”
14th Century
Middle English
goost
“spirit or apparition of the dead”
Modern English
English
ghost
“the spectral presence or spirit of a deceased person”