ghoul

ghoul
noun Etymology: Arabic ghūl Date: 1786 1. a legendary evil being that robs graves and feeds on corpses 2. one suggestive of a ghoul; especially one who shows morbid interest in things considered shocking or repulsive • ghoulish adjectiveghoulishly adverbghoulishness noun

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • ghoul — ghoul; ghoul·ish; ar·ghoul; ghoul·ish·ly; ghoul·ish·ness; …   English syllables

  • Ghoul — (g[=oo]l), n. [Per. gh[=o]l an imaginary sylvan demon, supposed to devour men and animals: cf. Ar. gh[=u]l, F. goule.] An imaginary evil being among Eastern nations, which was supposed to feed upon human bodies. [Written also {ghole} .] Moore.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ghoul — n. m. (Maghreb) Monstre anthropophage dans la mythologie arabe; ogre …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • ghoul — [gu:l] n [Date: 1700 1800; : Arabic; Origin: ghul, from ghala to seize ] 1.) an evil spirit in stories that takes bodies from ↑graves (=place in the ground where dead people are buried) and eats them 2.) someone who gets pleasure from unpleasant… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • ghoul — [ gul ] noun count 1. ) an imaginary creature that eats dead people 2. ) someone who is interested in or enjoys unpleasant situations involving death or injury …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • ghoul — 1786, in the English translation of Beckford s Vathek, from Arabic ghul, an evil spirit that robs graves and feeds on corpses, from ghala he seized …   Etymology dictionary

  • ghoul — meaning (1) ‘an evil spirit’ and (2) ‘a person morbidly interested in death’, is pronounced gool …   Modern English usage

  • ghoul — [n] evil demon bogeyman, devil, evil spirit, fiend, grave robber, monster; concepts 370,412 …   New thesaurus

  • ghoul — ► NOUN 1) an evil spirit or phantom, especially one supposed to rob graves and feed on dead bodies. 2) a person morbidly interested in death or disaster. DERIVATIVES ghoulish adjective ghoulishly adverb ghoulishness noun. ORIGIN Arabic, denoting… …   English terms dictionary

  • ghoul — [go͞ol] n. [Ar ghūl, demon of the desert < ghāla, to seize] 1. Muslim Folklore an evil spirit that robs graves and feeds on the flesh of the dead 2. a person who robs graves 3. a person who derives pleasure from loathsome acts or things… …   English World dictionary

  • Ghoul — A ghoul is a monster from ancient Arabian folklore that dwells in burial grounds and other uninhabited places. The English word comes from the Arabic name for the creature: الغول ghūl , which literally means demon . [cite web|title= ghoul… …   Wikipedia

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