poltergeist

See also: Poltergeist

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpoʊl.tɚˌɡaɪst/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɒl.tə.ɡaɪst/, /ˈpəʊl.təˌɡaɪst/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

poltergeist (plural poltergeists or poltergeister)

1. (parapsychology) An unseen ghost which makes noises and causes disruption, especially by causing physical objects to move or fly about.

   A poltergeist haunts the house by moving objects around, making chain-rattling noises and throwing things.

   The chapel is haunted by a demonic poltergeist.

   • 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:

     "Perhaps even a small poltergeist might come your way. Any trifle would be welcome." His bull's bellow of laughter followed them into the lift.

   • 2013, Kazerad, Aggy: Approach, in: Prequel -or- Making a Cat Cry: The Adventure (webcomic), November 22 2013

     I risk becoming nothing more than a common poltergeist wallowing in regrets and introspection and other terrible things.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:ghost

Derived terms

• poltergeistic
• poltergeistism
• poltergeistlike
• poltergeisty
• poltergoose

Translations

disruptive ghost

• Arabic: رُوح شَرِيرَة f (rūḥ šarīra)
• Bulgarian: полтъргайст m (poltǎrgajst)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 騷靈 / 骚灵 (sāolíng)

• Czech: poltergeist m
• Dutch: klopgeest (nl) m, poltergeest m
• Esperanto: poltergejsto, brufantomo
• Finnish: räyhähenki (fi), poltergeist (fi)
• French: esprit frappeur (fr) m, poltergeist (fr) m
• Georgian: პოლტერგეისტი (ṗolṭergeisṭi)
• German: Poltergeist (de) m, Klopfgeist m
• Greek: πόλτεργκαϊστ (póltergkaïst)
• Hungarian: kopogó szellem
• Italian: poltergeist (it) m
• Japanese: ポルターガイスト現象 (porutāgaisuto genshō), ポルターガイスト (ja) (porutāgaisuto)
• Korean: 폴터가이스트 (polteogaiseuteu)
• Latvian: poltergeists
• Lithuanian: poltergeistas
• Māori: poketai
• Norwegian: poltergeist, bankeånd
• Polish: poltergeist (pl) m
• Portuguese: poltergeist m
• Russian: полтерге́йст (ru) m (poltɛrgéjst)
• Spanish: poltergeist (es) m
• Swedish: poltergeist c
• Ukrainian: полтерге́йст m (polterhéjst)
• Vietnamese: yêu tinh (vi)
• Volapük: nokamalanan

Polish

Etymology

Etymology tree

German poltern

German Geist

German Poltergeistubor.

Polish poltergeist

Unadapted borrowing from German Poltergeist.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɔl.tɛr.ɡajst/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔltɛrɡajst
• Syllabification: pol‧ter‧geist

Noun

poltergeist m animal

1. (parapsychology) poltergeist (unseen ghost which makes noises and causes disruption, especially by causing physical objects to move or fly about)

Declension

Declension of poltergeist

	singular	plural
nominative	poltergeist	poltergeisty
genitive	poltergeista	poltergeistów
dative	poltergeistowi	poltergeistom
accusative	poltergeista	poltergeisty
instrumental	poltergeistem	poltergeistami
locative	poltergeiście	poltergeistach
vocative	poltergeiście	poltergeisty

Further reading

• “poltergeist”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[1] (in Polish)

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /pow.teʁˈɡajs.t͡ʃi/ [poʊ̯.teɦˈɡaɪ̯s.t͡ʃi], /pow.teʁˈɡajst͡ʃ/ [poʊ̯.teɦˈɡaɪ̯st͡ʃ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /pow.teʁˈɡajs.t͡ʃi/ [poʊ̯.teɦˈɡaɪ̯s.t͡ʃi], /pow.teʁˈɡajst͡ʃ/ [poʊ̯.teɦˈɡaɪ̯st͡ʃ]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /pow.teɾˈɡajs.t͡ʃi/ [poʊ̯.teɾˈɡaɪ̯s.t͡ʃi], /pow.teɾˈɡajst͡ʃ/ [poʊ̯.teɾˈɡaɪ̯st͡ʃ]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /pow.teʁˈɡajʃ.t͡ʃi/ [poʊ̯.teʁˈɡaɪ̯ʃ.t͡ʃi], /pow.teʁˈɡajʃt͡ʃ/ [poʊ̯.teʁˈɡaɪ̯ʃt͡ʃ]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /pow.teɻˈɡajs.t͡ʃi/ [poʊ̯.teɻˈɡaɪ̯s.t͡ʃi], /pow.teɻˈɡajst͡ʃ/ [poʊ̯.teɻˈɡaɪ̯st͡ʃ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /pow.teʁˈɡajst͡ʃ/ [poʊ̯.teɦˈɡaɪ̯st͡ʃ], /pow.teʁˈɡajs.t͡ʃi/ [poʊ̯.teɦˈɡaɪ̯s.t͡ʃi]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /pol.tɨɾˈɡajʃt/ [poɫ.tɨɾˈɣajʃt], /pɔl.tɨɾˈɡajʃt/ [pɔɫ.tɨɾˈɣajʃt]

• Hyphenation: pol‧ter‧geist

Noun

poltergeist m (plural poltergeists)

1. (parapsychology) poltergeist (a disruptive ghost)

Further reading

• “poltergeist”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026