Ghoul

Pronunciation

• IPA: /É¡uːl/, /É¡ÊŠÉ™l/
• Rhymes: -uːl

Alternative forms

• ghole

Origin

Persian غول — an imaginary sylvan demon, supposed to devour men and animals. From Arabic غول. Compare French goule.

Full definition of ghoul

Noun

1. (mythology, folklore) A spirit said to feed on corpses.
• 1927 — H.P. Lovecraft, Pickman's ModelThe other chamber had shown a pack of ghouls and witches over-running the world of our forefathers, but this one brought the horror right into our own daily life!.
2. A graverobber
3. A person with an undue interest in death and corpses.

Derived terms

• ghoulish

Related terms

• graverobber resurrection man, resurrectionist, body snatcher

Descendants

• Portuguese: ghoul

Anagrams

• lough