Etymology

poltergeist

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Today it means: An unseen ghost which makes noises and causes disruption, especially by causing physical objects to move or fly about. Full definition →

German Poltergeist
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poltergeist · noun1

  1. German · borrowed fromPoltergeist
  2. English todaypoltergeist

Unadapted borrowing from German Poltergeist, from poltern (“to rumble”) + Geist (“ghost”), cognates with English boulder and ghost, respectively.

Poltergeist · proper noun2

From poltergeist, the supernatural entity. From orbiting a neutron star, a "dead" star, a star that no longer contains a fusion core, but which is radiating away its stored energy.

Words from the same roots

GermanPoltergeist all →

knocking spirit

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.