Where does “ghoulish” come from?
Ghoulish derives from Middle English -isch, Arabic غُول, Proto-West Germanic -isk, Proto-Germanic -iskaz, Proto-Indo-European -iskos, Proto-Indo-Iranian gʰáwšas, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European g⁽ʷ⁾ʰéwsos.
ghoulish (English): Of or pertaining to ghouls; Of or pertaining to...
Definitions
- Of or pertaining to ghouls; Of or pertaining to...
Ancestry of “ghoulish”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | ghoul | A demon said to feed on corpses; A graverobber; A... |
| 2 | French | goule | ghoul; Nonstandard form of gueule |
| 3 | French | gueule | snout, face; mug; mouth |
| 4 | Old French | goule | mouth |
| 5 | Latin | gula | gullet, throat, palate; gluttony, greediness;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷel- | throat; to swallow; throat; to dribble; gush... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kel- | to hit; beat; to pierce, to stab; goblet |
Words derived from “ghoulish”