Where does “ghosthunter” come from?

ghosthunter (English) comes from English Hunter, from Middle English huntere, from Middle English hunten, from Cimbrian hunt, from Middle High German hunt, from Old High German hunt, from Proto-West Germanic hund, from Proto-Germanic hundaz — dog.

ghosthunter (English): A person who attempts to track down ghosts

Definitions

  1. A person who attempts to track down ghosts

Ancestry of “ghosthunter”, step by step

ghosthunter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Hunter

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishHunterfor a hunter
2Middle EnglishhuntereA hunter; a (male) person who hunts animals
3Middle Englishhuntento hunt
4Cimbrianhuntdog
5Middle High Germanhuntdog (Canis familiaris)
6Old High Germanhuntdog
7Proto-West Germanichunddog
8Proto-Germanichundazdog
9Proto-Indo-Europeanḱwn̥tós
10Proto-Indo-Europeanḱwṓdog

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 ḱwṓ