ghostly

ghost·ly

adjective

-·lier, -·li·est

of, like, or characteristic of a ghost; spectral
Now Rare having to do with the soul or religion; spiritual

Origin of ghostly

Middle English gostlich from Old English gastlic, spiritual, spectral

Link/Cite

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MLA Style

"Ghostly." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Ghostly.

APA Style

Ghostly. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Ghostly

ghostly

adjective

ghost·li·er, ghost·li·est

Of, relating to, or resembling a ghost, a wraith, or an apparition; spectral.
Of or relating to the soul or spirit; spiritual.

Related Forms:

ghost′li·ness
noun

ghost′ly
adverb

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"Ghostly." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Ghostly.

APA Style

Ghostly. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Ghostly

Adjective

(comparative ghostlier, superlative ghostliest)

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

Origin

From Middle English gostly, gastlich, from Old English gāstlīċ (“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”).