Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2
Original entry ↗Of a disembodied soul: to appear (somewhere or to someone) in the form of an apparition; to haunt. · To imbue (something) with a ghost-like effect or hue. · To continuously cause (someone or something) trouble; specifically, to continuously be in the thoughts of (someone) in a disturbing manner; to perturb, to trouble. · To kill (someone).
In the form be ghost: not present or involved; absent, gone.
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”)
Relationships mentioned by the source
These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.
- Root classification mention*ǵʰéysd-ine-pro
- Inherited-form mentiongostenm
- Inherited-form mentiongāstang
- Cognate mentionHoly Ghosten
- Inherited-form mention*gaistgmw-pro
- Inherited-form mention*gaistazgem-pro
- Inherited-form mention*ǵʰéysdosine-pro
- Cognate mentiongheestdum
- Doublet mentiongeisten
- Cognate mentiongastda · ghost
- Cognate mentiongeestnl · ghost, spirit
- Cognate mentionGeistde · ghost, spirit
- Cognate mentionGeeschtlb · ghost, spirit, spectre, phantom
- Cognate mentionGäiststq
- Cognate mentiongaistsco
- Cognate mentiongastsv · ghost
- Cognate mentiongȧjstwym · ghost, spirit
- Cognate mentiongeastfy · ghost, spirit
- Cognate mentionגײַסטyi · ghost, spirit
- Cognate mentiongaastyol · ghost
This page abbreviates 9 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.
Inspect preserved source fields
Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.
{
"templates": [
{
"name": "root",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ine-pro",
"3": "*ǵʰéysd-"
},
"expansion": ""
},
{
"name": "lg",
"args": {
"1": "noun"
},
"expansion": "noun"
},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "gost"
},
"expansion": "Middle English gost"
},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ang",
"3": "gāst"
},
"expansion": "Old English gāst"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "Holy Ghost"
},
"expansion": "English Holy Ghost"
},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "gmw-pro",
"3": "*gaist"
},
"expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *gaist"
},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "gem-pro",
"3": "*gaistaz"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Germanic *gaistaz"
},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ine-pro",
"3": "*ǵʰéysdos"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰéysdos"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "dum",
"2": "gheest"
},
"expansion": "Middle Dutch gheest"
},
{
"name": "doublet",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "geist"
},
"expansion": "Doublet of geist"
},
{
"name": "lg",
"args": {
"1": "adjective"
},
"expansion": "adjective"
},
{
"name": "lg",
"args": {
"1": "verb"
},
"expansion": "verb"
},
{
"name": "col-top",
"args": {
"1": "2",
"2": "cognates"
},
"expansion": "cognates"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "da",
"2": "gast",
"t": "ghost"
},
"expansion": "Danish gast (“ghost”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "geest",
"t": "ghost, spirit"
},
"expansion": "Dutch geest (“ghost, spirit”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "Geist",
"t": "ghost, spirit"
},
"expansion": "German Geist (“ghost, spirit”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "lb",
"2": "Geescht",
"t": "ghost, spirit, spectre, phantom"
},
"expansion": "Luxembourgish Geescht (“ghost, spirit, spectre, phantom”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "stq",
"2": "Gäist"
},
"expansion": "Saterland Frisian Gäist"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "sco",
"2": "gaist"
},
"expansion": "Scots gaist"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "sv",
"2": "gast",
"t": "ghost"
},
"expansion": "Swedish gast (“ghost”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "wym",
"2": "gȧjst",
"t": "ghost, spirit"
},
"expansion": "Vilamovian gȧjst (“ghost, spirit”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "fy",
"2": "geast",
"t": "ghost, spirit"
},
"expansion": "West Frisian geast (“ghost, spirit”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "yi",
"2": "גײַסט",
"t": "ghost, spirit"
},
"expansion": "Yiddish גײַסט (gayst, “ghost, spirit”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "yol",
"2": "gaast",
"t": "ghost"
},
"expansion": "Yola gaast (“ghost”)"
}
],
"links": [
[
"gost",
"gost#Middle_English"
],
[
"gāst",
"gast#Old_English"
],
[
"gǣst",
"gæst#Old_English"
],
[
"Holy Ghost",
"Holy Ghost#English"
],
[
"*gaist",
"Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/gaist"
],
[
"*gaistaz",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/gaistaz"
],
[
"*ǵʰéysdos",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/ǵʰéysdos"
],
[
"*ǵʰéysd-",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/ǵʰéysd-"
],
[
"Holy Ghoost",
"Holy Ghost"
],
[
"gheest",
"gheest#Middle_Dutch"
],
[
"geest",
"geest#Middle_Dutch"
],
[
"geist",
"geist#English"
],
[
"gast",
"gast#Danish"
],
[
"gejst",
"gejst#Danish"
],
[
"geest",
"geest#Dutch"
],
[
"Geist",
"Geist#German"
],
[
"Geescht",
"Geescht#Luxembourgish"
],
[
"Gäist",
"Gäist#Saterland_Frisian"
],
[
"Jeest",
"Jeest#Saterland_Frisian"
],
[
"gaist",
"gaist#Scots"
],
[
"ghaist",
"ghaist#Scots"
],
[
"gast",
"gast#Swedish"
],
[
"gȧjst",
"gajst#Vilamovian"
],
[
"geast",
"geast#West_Frisian"
],
[
"גײַסט",
"גײַסט#Yiddish"
],
[
"gaast",
"gaast#Yola"
]
],
"references": [],
"descendants": [],
"lexical": [
{
"pos": "verb",
"glosses": [
"Of a disembodied soul: to appear (somewhere or to someone) in the form of an apparition; to haunt.",
"To imbue (something) with a ghost-like effect or hue.",
"To continuously cause (someone or something) trouble; specifically, to continuously be in the thoughts of (someone) in a disturbing manner; to perturb, to trouble.",
"To kill (someone)."
],
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{
"pos": "adj",
"glosses": [
"In the form be ghost: not present or involved; absent, gone."
],
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