More spooky origins of words

Charlotte Guest
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Reading time: 3 minutes

Welcome back to our spooky language series. In our last post, we looked at the strange and surprising stories behind words like "ghoul", "witch" and "zombie". This time, we’re exploring even more creepy words and where they come from. If you love learning about language, stories or history, get ready to discover how scary legends and old languages still live in the words we use today.

What is Halloween and where does it come from?

The name comes from “All Hallows’ Eve” (the evening before All Saints’ Day on 1 November). Over time, “Hallowe’en” became “Halloween”.

Many Halloween ideas come from Samhain (say it like “SAH-win”). Samhain was a Celtic festival at the end of harvest and the start of winter. People believed the line between the living and the dead was thin on this night. They lit bonfires and wore simple costumes to hide from spirits. Later, Christian traditions added All Saints’ Day (1 November) and All Souls’ Day (2 November).

Spooky words and where they come from
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Spooky English words

Bogeyman

From Middle English "bugge", meaning a scary thing. In different places, people said "bogle" or "bogey". Today it means an imaginary monster used to scare children.

Hobgoblin

A mix of "hob" (a small house spirit) and "goblin" (from French). It usually means a tricky, playful spirit.

Hex

From the German "Hexe", meaning witch. In American English, it came from German-speaking settlers. To "hex" means to put a curse on someone.

Macabre

From French (as in "danse macabre", “dance of death”). The deeper origin is not clear. Today, it's an adjective that describes something dark, disturbing and about death.

Changeling

From "change" plus the ending "-ling", meaning "small" or "young". In old stories, fairies take a baby and leave another baby. A changeling is the swapped child.

Necromancy

From Greek "nekros" (dead) plus "manteia" (divination). In the Middle Ages, people sometimes wrote it like “black magic” by mistake. It means trying to talk to the dead to get knowledge.

Pandemonium

Made by the poet John Milton. From "pan" (all) plus "demon" (spirit). It first meant the city of all demons; now it means wild noise and chaos.

Hallow

From Old English, meaning “to make holy”. We see it in the name Halloween (All Hallows’ Eve). It is related to "holy" and "whole".

Ogre

From French "ogre", likely from Italian "orco" and Latin "Orcus" (a god of the world of the dead). In stories, an ogre is a big, man-eating giant.

Fiend

From Old English "feond", which first meant "enemy". Later the meaning changed to indicate a very bad or evil being. It is the opposite of "friend" (from Old English "freond").

Lich

From Old English "lic", meaning body. You can still see it in lychgates (a gate by a churchyard). Modern fantasy uses "lich" for an undead magician.

Grimoire

From French. It is linked to the old word "grammar" (books of learning). A grimoire is a book of spells.

Nightmare

Here, "mare" does not mean a horse. It comes from Old English "mære", a spirit believed to press on sleepers at night. Now, a nightmare means a bad dream or a very bad experience.

And that’s it: more spooky words to enjoy. It’s amazing how old stories and different cultures have shaped the words we use now. Next time you hear words like "ogre" or "lich", you’ll know the fascinating origin behind them.

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