Where does “ghostly” come from?

Ghostly comes from Old English gāstlīċ, a derivative of gāst meaning spirit or soul.

ghostly (English): Of or pertaining to ghosts or spirits; Spooky;...

Definitions

  1. Of or pertaining to ghosts or spirits; Spooky;...

Ancestry of “ghostly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishgostlyBelonging to or consisting of spirit, not matter;...
2Old Englishgāstlīċspiritual
3Old Englishgāstbreath, soul, spirit, ghost, being
4Proto-West Germanicgaistghost, spirit
5Proto-Germanicgaistazterror, fear; spirit, ghost; mind
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰeysd-anger, agitation

Words derived from “ghostly”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰeysd- →Every word from Proto-Germanic gaistaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic gaist →