wraith

Meaning

A ghost or specter, especially a person's likeness seen just after their death.

Frequency

C2
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ɹeɪθ/
Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Scots wraith, first attested in 1513 as a translation of the Aeneid. The word has no certain etymology. J. R. R. Tolkien favored a link with writhe. Also compared are Scots warth and Old Norse vǫrðr (“watcher, guardian”), whence Icelandic vörður (“guard”). See also wray/bewray, from Middle English wreien. Perhaps from wrath as a wraith is a vengeful spirit.

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