ghoul

English

Alternative forms

• ghole

Etymology

From Persian غول (ğul) from Arabic غُول (ḡūl). Compare French goule, of the same origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡuːl/, /ɡʊəl/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːl

Noun

ghoul (plural ghouls)

1. (mythology, Islam) A demon said to feed on corpses.
   • 1927, H.P. Lovecraft, Pickman's Model‎^[1]:

     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!.

   • 1962, “Monster Mash”, Bobby "Boris" Pickett and Lenny Capizzi (lyrics), performed by Bobby (Boris) Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers:

     From my laboratory in the Castle east
     To the master bedroom, where the vampires feast
     The ghouls all came from their humble abodes
     To get a jolt from my electrodes
     They did the Mash
     They did the Monster Mash.

2. A graverobber.
3. A person with an undue interest in death and corpses, or more generally in things that are revolting and repulsive.
4. (derogatory, slang) A person with a callous or uncaring attitude to human life and suffering, particularly when prioritizing economic concerns.

Derived terms

• book-ghoul
• ghoulie ghoul
• ghoulie-ghoul
• ghoulish

 

Related terms

• (demon) Algol
• (graverobber) resurrection man, resurrectionist, body snatcher

Related terms

• jinn
• jann
• nasnas
• shaitan
• angel

Descendants

• Portuguese: ghoul

Translations

a spirit said to feed on corpses

• Arabic: غُول (ar) f (ḡūl)
• Azerbaijani: qulyabanı, qul (az)

  South Azerbaijani غول (ğul)

• Bulgarian: вампир (bg) m (vampir)
• Catalan: gul m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 食屍鬼／食尸鬼 (shíshīguǐ)

• Czech: ghůl m, vampír m, démon (cs) m
• Dutch: ghoul m, ghoulia f, lijkenpikker (nl) m
• Esperanto: kadavromanĝulo, ĥulo
• Finnish: ghouli
• French: goule (fr) f
• Georgian: გული (guli), ვამპირი (vamṗiri)
• German: Ghul (de) m
• Hebrew: ע'ול m
• Hindi: ग़ूल m (ġūl), पिशाच (hi) m (piśāc), गूल m (gūl)
• Icelandic: náæta f
• Ido: gulo (io)
• Irish: amhailt f
• Italian: gula (it), ghoul (it)
• Japanese: グール (gūru)
• Korean: 구울 (guul)
• Macedonian: гул m (gul), ва́мпир m (vámpir), та́ласам m (tálasam)
• Ojibwe: wiindigoo
• Ottoman Turkish: غول (ğul)
• Persian: غول (fa) (ğul)
• Polish: ghul (pl) m
• Portuguese: ghoul m, carniçal m, gula (pt) f, guli m, goule f
• Romanian: vampir (ro) m
• Russian: гуль (ru) m (gulʹ), вурдала́к (ru) m (vurdalák), вампи́р (ru) m (vampír)
• Spanish: gul (es) m, demonio necrófago
• Swedish: ghoul
• Turkish: gulyabani (tr), şeytan (tr), hortlak (tr), gul (tr), gûl (tr)

a graverobber

• Bulgarian: мародер (bg) m (maroder)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 盜墓者／盗墓者 (dàomùzhě)

• Czech: vykradač hrobů m
• Georgian: საფლავის მძარცველი (saplavis mʒarcveli)
• Macedonian: ма́родер m (mároder)
• Polish: hiena cmentarna (pl) f
• Romanian: jefuitor de morminte m
• Turkish: nebbaş (tr) (archaic), mezar soyguncusu (tr)

Anagrams

• Lough, lough

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English ghoul, from Persian غول (ğul).

Noun

ghoul m (plural ghouls)

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