Ghost definition

From and , from . Cognate with Afrikaans gees, archaic Danish , Dutch geest, Frisian geast, German Geist, Scots ghaist and Yiddish גײַסט (gayst).

The spirit; the soul of man.

Then gives her grieved ghost thus to lament. — Spenser
The disembodied soul; the soul or spirit of a deceased person; a spirit appearing after death; an apparition; a specter.

The mighty ghosts of our great Harries rose. — Shakespeare.

I thought that I had died in sleep/And was a blessed ghost. — Coleridge
Any faint shadowy semblance; an unsubstantial image; a phantom; a glimmering.

not a ghost of a chance

the ghost of an idea

Each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. — Poe
A false image formed in a telescope, camera, or other optical device by reflection from the surfaces of one or more lenses.
An unwanted image similar to and overlapping or adjacent to the main one on a television screen, caused by the transmitted image being received both directly and via reflection.
A ghostwriter.
A nature spirit, ancestor or house spirit (see brownie ) revered in Heathenry.

Before all else, we speak to the land to the ghosts and spirits of this place known to many as pixies, fairies, brownies, or elfs. (Math Jones)
An unresponsive user on IRC, resulting from the user's client disconnecting without notifying the server.

(soul): soul, spirit
(spirit appearing after death): apparition, phantom, revenant, specter/spectre, spook, wraith.
(faint shadowy semblance): glimmer, glimmering, glimpse, hint, inkling, spark, suggestion.
(false image in an optical device):
(false image on a television screen):
(ghostwriter): ghostwriter
See also Wikisaurus:ghost