Where does “Schreckgespenst” come from?

Schreckgespenst (German) comes from German gespenst, from Middle High German gespenst, from Old High German gispensti, from Old High German spanan — to lure, to attract.

Schreckgespenst (German): specter

Definitions

  1. specter

Ancestry of “Schreckgespenst”, step by step

Schreckgespenst traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German gespenst

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germangespenstghost, spectre
2Middle High Germangespenst—
3Old High Germangispenstitemptation, illusion
4Old High Germanspananto lure, to attract

via German Schreck

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanSchreckfright
2Middle High Germanschrecke—
Every word from Old High German spanan →Every word from Old High German gispensti →Every word from Middle High German gespenst →