Dictionary

ghoul en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ɡʊəl/
• /ɡʉl/ (Northern-Ireland, Scotland)
• /ɡul/ (South-Asia)
• /ɡuːl/
• (US) audio
• /ɣul/ (South-Asia, literary)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɡʉw(ə)l/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /ɡʱul/ (South-Asia) spelling pronunciation

Etymology

Borrowed from French goule, from Persian غول (ġul) from Arabic غُول (ḡūl).

Meanings

1. A demon said to feed on corpses.
   • 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!. 1927, H.P. Lovecraft, Pickman's Model:
   • “Yeah, Mum’s always wishing we had a house-elf to do the ironing,” said George. “But all we’ve got is a lousy old ghoul in the attic and gnomes all over the garden. [...]” 1999, J. K. Rowling, “Chapter 3: The Burrow”, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:
   • 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. 1962, “Monster Mash”, Bobby "Boris" Pickett and Lenny Capizzi (lyrics), performed by Bobby (Boris) Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers:
2. A graverobber.
   • Police went to the cemetery at Trafalgar, near Yallourn, and discovered that a woman's body had been stolen from a grave. They were satisfied it was the same body found at Yallourn - but made no progress in running down the ghouls responsible for the outrage. 1965, Attila Zohar, Kings Cross Black Magic, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 38:
   • We would not say that under no circumstances ought a grave to be opened; but it ought to be opened like a grave and not like a burglar-proof safe. […] And some of us enter it, if not without knocking, certainly without taking our hats off. We should not so much mind these eminent persons being ghouls, if only they were modest and apologetic ghouls. 1926 February 13, G. K. Chesterton, editor, G.K.’s Weekly, volume 2, number 48, page 541:
3. A person with an undue interest in death and corpses, or more generally in things that are revolting and repulsive.
   • Cars were parked on both sides of the highway, the usual ghouls, of both sexes. 1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, →ISBN, page 45:
4. (colloquial, derogatory) A person with a callous or uncaring attitude to human life and suffering, particularly when prioritizing economic concerns.
   • Restored to bumptiousness, Peter arrived jauntily in the kitchen, to survey Mrs Dibble's body as a spectacle new to him, and remark, "So the old trout's done herself in properly this time, I'm told. About time she did, the way she's been going on here." "Shut up, you old ghoul, and help Dr Grimsby to carry her upstairs." 1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 195:

Forms

Deriveds

ghoulification · ghoulie ghoul · ghoulie · book-ghoul · Ghouliani · ghoulish · ghoulfriend · ghoulery · ghoulie-ghoul · ghouly · ghoulism

Descendants

ghoul

Relateds

resurrectionist · jann · shaitan · nasnas · jinn · resurrection man · angel · Algol (demon) · body snatcher

Translations (79)

fa-ira غول (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · ka ვამპირი (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · pl ghul (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · hu sírgyalázó (a graverobber) · cs vykradač hrobů (a graverobber) · bg мароде́р (a graverobber) · de Ghul (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · tr şeytan (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · hu halottevő szellem (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · de Grabräuber (a graverobber) · ru гуль (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · tg ғул (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · pt ghoul (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · ka საფლავის მძარცველი (a graverobber) · fr goule (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · mk та́ласам (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · tr gul (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · bg вампи́р (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · fi ghouli (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · mk ва́мпир (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · ja グール (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · hi गूल (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · it gula (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · ru вурдала́к (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · tg ғӯл (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · cs ghůl (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · ga amhailt (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · ko 구울 (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · tr mezar soyguncusu (a graverobber) · kk ғұл (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · ur غُول (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · uk гуль (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · io gulo (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · mk ма́родер (a graverobber) · cs vampír (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · ca gul (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · ka გული (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · ro vampir (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · hu gúl (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · ota غول (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · hu hullarabló (a graverobber) · tr nebbaş (a graverobber) · mk гул (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · hu hullarabló szellem (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · eo ĥulo (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · bn পিশাচ (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · az qulyabanı (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · tr gûl (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · hi ग़ूल (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · hi पिशाच (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · pt carniçal (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · az qul (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · pt gula (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · cmn 盜墓者 /盗墓者 (a graverobber) · es demonio necrófago (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · cmn 食屍鬼 /食尸鬼 (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · nl ghoulia (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · cs démon (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · tr hortlak (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · nl ghoul (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · pt goule (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · pl hiena cmentarna (a graverobber) · az غول (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · bg гул (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · he ע׳ול (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · eo kadavromanĝulo (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · prs غُول (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · it ghoul (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · oj wiindigoo (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · ar غُول (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · ro jefuitor de morminte (a graverobber) · es gul (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · pt guli (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · hu lélekfaló szellem (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · is náæta (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · my ဂူးလ် (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · tr gulyabani (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · ru вампи́р (a spirit said to feed on corpses) · hy գուլ (a spirit said to feed on corpses)