ghastly

Etymology

From a conflation of a derivation of Old English gǣstan (“to torment, frighten”) with the suffix -lic, and ghostly (which was also spelt "gastlich" in Middle English). Equivalent to ghast/gast + -ly. Spelling with 'gh' developed 16th century due to the conflation.

adj

  1. Like a ghost in appearance; death-like; pale; pallid; dismal.
    "My men grow mutinous day by day; / My men grow ghastly wan and weak." / The stout mate thought of home; a spray / Of salt wave washed his swarthy cheek. 1892, Joaquin Miller, Columbus
  2. Horrifyingly shocking.
  3. Extremely bad.
    The play was simply ghastly.

adv

  1. In a ghastly manner.
    Johnathan's lips moved ghastly before his voice would come. "So I'm crazy, am I? And if I choose to murder you, what would you do?" 1921, William Dudley Pelley, The Fog: A Novel, page 196

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