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Today it means

ghoul

a monster or spirit, especially in fiction, that robs graves and feeds on corpses; also a person morbidly interested in death

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Where does the word "ghoul" come from? It comes from Arabic ghul, and was adopted directly into English (1786).

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Where does the word "ghoul" come from? It comes from Arabic ghul, and was adopted directly into English (1786).

Ghoul’s story begins in Arabic: ghul meant “grave-robbing demon.” From ghala, "he seized"; an evil spirit believed to rob graves and devour corpses. It reached English by 1786 as ghoul. Entered English through William Beckford's Gothic novel "Vathek". Today, ghoul means a monster or spirit, especially in fiction, that robs graves and feeds on corpses; also a person morbidly interested in death.

  1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval ghul "grave-robbing demon", from ghala, "he seized"; an evil spirit believed to rob graves and devour corpses.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1786 ghoul "monster that feeds on the dead", entered English through William Beckford's Gothic novel "Vathek".

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