Ghostly
Pronunciation
Origin
From Middle English gostly, gastlich, from Old English gÄstlÄ«Ä‹ ("spiritual, holy, clerical (not lay), ghastly, ghostly, spectral"), equivalent to ghost + -ly. Cognate with Scots gostly, gastly, gaistlie ("spiritual, ghastly, terrifying"), West Frisian geastlik ("spiritual, clerical, religious"), Dutch geestelijk ("spiritual, clerical, ecclesiastical"), German geistlich ("spiritual, sacred, religious"), Danish geistlig ("ecclesiastical, clerical").
Full definition of ghostly
Adjective
ghostly
- Of or pertaining to ghosts or spirits.a ghostly figure with a hood.
- Spooky; frightening.
- Relating to the soul; not carnal or secular; spiritual.a ghostly confessor
- Book of Common PrayerSave and defend us from our ghostly enemies.
- Jeremy TaylorOne of the ghostly children of St. Jerome.