Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Ghoul

Ghoul

(goōl)

,

Noun.

[Per.

ghōl

an imaginary sylvan demon, supposed to devour men and animals: cf. Ar.

ghūl

, F.

goule

.]

An imaginary evil being among Eastern nations, which was supposed to feed upon human bodies.

[Written also

ghole

.]

Moore.

Definition 2024

ghoul

ghoul

English

Alternative forms

ghole

Noun

ghoul ‎(plural ghouls)

(mythology, folklore) A spirit said to feed on corpses.
- 1927, H.P. Lovecraft, Pickman's Model:
  The other chamber had shown a pack of ghouls and witches over-running the world of our forefathers, but this one brought the horror right into our own daily life!.
A graverobber.
A person with an undue interest in death and corpses.

Derived terms

ghoulish

Related terms

(graverobber) resurrection man, resurrectionist, body snatcher

Translations

a spirit said to feed on corpses

Arabic: غُول (ar) f ‎(ḡūl)
Bulgarian: вампир (bg) m ‎(vampir)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 食屍鬼, 食尸鬼 ‎(shíshīguǐ)
Czech: ghůl m
Dutch: ghoul m, ghoulia f, lijkenpikker m
Finnish: ghouli
French: goule (fr) f
German: Ghul m
Hebrew: ע'ול m
Icelandic: náæta f

Ido: gulo (io)
Italian: gula (it), ghoul
Japanese: グール ‎(gūru)
Korean: 구울 ‎(guul)
Ojibwe: wiindigoo
Persian: غول (fa) ‎(ğul)
Polish: ghul m
Portuguese: ghoul m
Russian: гуль (ru) m ‎(gulʹ), вурдала́к (ru) m ‎(vurdalák), вампи́р (ru) m ‎(vampír)
Spanish: gul (es) m
Swedish: ghoul
Turkish: gulyabani (tr),şeytan (tr), hortlak (tr)

A graverobber

Bulgarian: мародер (bg) m ‎(maroder)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 盜墓者, 盗墓者 ‎(dàomùzhě)

Turkish: nebbaş (tr) (archaic), mezar soyguncusu (tr)

Descendants

Portuguese: ghoul

Anagrams

lough

Portuguese

Etymology

From English ghoul, from Persian ‎(ğul).

Noun

ghoul m (plural ghouls)

(mythology, folklore) ghoul (a spirit said to feed on corpses)