Where does “ghost word” come from?
ghost word (English) comes from English Word, from English worth, from Middle English worth, from Old English weorþ, from Proto-Germanic werþaz, from Proto-Indo-European wert-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
ghost word (English): A fictitious or erroneous word, originally...
Definitions
- A fictitious or erroneous word, originally...
Ancestry of “ghost word”, step by step
ghost word traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Word
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Word | Scripture; The Bible; The creative word of God;... |
| 2 | English | worth | Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for;... |
| 3 | Middle English | worth | to become |
| 4 | Old English | weorþ | worth, deserving; honoured, esteemed; worth,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | werþaz | worthy, valuable |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |
via English ghost
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ghost | The spirit; the soul of man; The disembodied... |
| 2 | Middle English | gost | a spiritual being; angel, devil, spirit; soul of... |
| 3 | Old English | gāst | breath, soul, spirit, ghost, being |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | gaist | ghost, spirit |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | gaistaz | terror, fear; spirit, ghost; mind |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰeysd- | anger, agitation |