Where does “ghost island” come from?

ghost island (English) comes from English Island, from English iland, from Middle English iland, from Old English īeġland, from Old English īeġ, from Proto-West Germanic auwju, from Proto-Germanic awjō, from Proto-Germanic agwjō — water.

ghost island (English): An area of road surface marked with cross...

Definitions

  1. An area of road surface marked with cross...

Ancestry of “ghost island”, step by step

ghost island traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Island

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishIslandLong Island (in New York State)
2EnglishilandArchaic form of island
3Middle Englishiland
4Old Englishīeġlandisland
5Old Englishīeġisland
6Proto-West Germanicauwjufloodplain; meadow; island
7Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
8Proto-Germanicagwjō
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

via English ghost

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishghostThe spirit; the soul of man; The disembodied...
2Middle Englishgosta spiritual being; angel, devil, spirit; soul of...
3Old Englishgāstbreath, soul, spirit, ghost, being
4Proto-West Germanicgaistghost, spirit
5Proto-Germanicgaistazterror, fear; spirit, ghost; mind
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰeysd-anger, agitation
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂Every word from Proto-Germanic agwjōEvery word from Proto-Germanic awjō