Welcome to the Ghostly World Dictionary, the official terminology guide by Ghostly World. Here, you will find all the words you need to having fluent paranormal lingo.
Something missing? Add a word
A
Afterlife
Life after death.
Agent
- Person who attempts to communicate information to another in an ESP experiment.
- The subject in a psychokinesis experiment.
- Person who is the focus of poltergeist activity.
Alive
Living, especially still living, and not dead.
Amorphous
Lacking defined form or shape.
Animal Ghost
The ghost of an animal, oftentimes pets.
Anomalies
Beyond the realm of normalcy.
Apparition
Appearance of a ghost or the deceased.
Apport
The arrival of an object (living, dead, or inanimate) during a séance or haunting.
Asport
The disappearance of objects that may reappear elsewhere or not at all.
Astral Projection
When the spirit exits the body to either the astral plane or a different location on this plane. (also called “O.B.E”).
Aura
Energy that surrounds and emanates from all living things.
Automatic Writing
A phenomenon that involves people writing without conscious thought.
Automatism
The event of subconscious communicating with the conscious through means such as the Ouija Board, automatic writing, or pendulum swinging.
Avengers
Ghosts looking to right the wrongs of something that happened during their lifetime.
B
Banshee
Female Irish spirit who brings warnings of impending deaths. Those who do not hear her screams are the next victims.
Benign Spirit
A ghost that does not cause harm.
Bilocation
Being in or appearing to be in two different locations at the same time.
Boo
Stereotypical noise of a ghost that does not occur in real cases.
C
Calling Ghosts
Ghosts that call out the names of the living in order to attract their attention.
Camcorder
Video recording tool used to capture video evidence of ghosts.
Camera
Photo-taking tool used in ghost hunting to capture evidence.
Channeling
The process used by mediums in order to communicate with the dead.
Clairvoyant
A psychic with the ability to foresee the future.
Clairaudient
A psychic with the ability to hear voices and sounds inaudible to the normal human ear.
Clairsentient
A psychic with the ability to feel things not normally felt by the average person.
Cleansing
A less religious form of exorcism that is utilized to remove spirits.
Cold Spot
An area where the temperature is significantly lower than everywhere else and is believed to be caused by a ghost.
Collective Apparition
An apparition that is sighted by multiple witnesses at the same time.
Corpse
Body of a dead human, oftentimes decomposed when referred to as a ‘corpse’.
Crisis Ghosts
Ghosts that bear important messages for the living (see ‘Message-Bringers’).
Curse
Bad luck placed by an individual on an item or person.
Cyber Ghost
An abandoned website that lures in visitors and allows them to send emails that will never receive replies.
Cyclic Ghosts
Ghosts that appear on the anniversary to a significant event.
D
Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos)
Mexican celebration honoring the dead.
Dead
Having once lived and since had their life come to an end.
Deceased
No longer alive (see ‘Dead’).
Deep Trance Medium
A psychic that allows a ghost to enter their body so that spirits can communicate through them.
Deja Vu
The sensation of feeling that one has experienced current events before.
Dematerialization
The fading or disappearance of a physical object.
Demon
Evil spirit capable of harming the living, often by means of scratches and/or possession; spirits from Hell.
Devil’s Hound
Black dogs with red eyes that are said to haunt England (see ‘Phantom Dog’).
Dictaphone
Recording device used in ghost hunting that was later replaced by the EVP Reader.
Digital Thermometer
Temperature recording tool used to detect drops in temperature, often caused by ghosts.
Discarnate
A spirit that exists while lacking a physical body.
Discernment
The ability to feel or notice something while using the mind and senses.
Disembodied
Coming from somebody who cannot be seen in a way that may be eerie or frightening.
Disembodied Voice
A voice that emanates from someone with no physical body (see ‘EVP’).
Divination
The obtainment of future events and the unknown via outside forces.
Domovoy
Russian ghost that is said to do housework of it is treated well.
Doppelganger
German for “double walker”; the identical image of a living person.
Draugur
Icelandic word for ghost.
Dream
A sequence of images that appear involuntarily to the mind of somebody who is sleeping, often a mixture of real and imaginary characters, places, and events.
Dropping Temperature
Coldness produced by a ghost.
E
Ectoplasm
A substance that emanates from a medium during a trance; often appears as a mist-like or vapor substance; can be seen moving, often faces and other forms can been seen in it.
Electro-Magnetic (Electro-Magnetic Radiation)
Energy said to be produced by ghosts, though not in all cases of electro-magnetics.
Electro-Magnetic Field (EMF)
An electric and magnetic energy that radiates from radio and light waves to gamma and cosmic rays
Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP)
Voices heard only on EVP recorders or cassette tapes and not to the naked ear; voices of spirits.
EMF Reader
Gauge designed to read levels of EMFs (also called ‘EMF Detector’).
Empath
Someone who shows a considerable amount of empathy physicallyEpitaphWords or phrases etched onto a tombstone.
Espectro
Spanish word for ghostEvocationSummoning spirits by means of ritual, gesture, or verse of incantation.
EVP Reader
Gauge designed to record noises or voices created by ghosts.
Exorcism
The expulsion of ghosts, spirits, and other entities (primarily demons) that are disturbing or possessing a person or a place.
Extra Sensory Perception (ESP)
The ability to receive or obtain information about past, present, or future events; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition.
Fantasma
Italian word for ghost; Spanish word for ghost.
Flashlight
Light-bringing tool used in ghost hunts to eliminate use of larger lights.
G
Gauss Neter
Tool used by ghost hunters to read electro-magnetic radiation.
Ghost
Soul of the deceased.
Ghost Box
Tool used for communicating to ghosts in a more ‘live’ way than EVPs.
Ghost Hunter
An individual who studies and looks for ghosts, often times working to rid a location of harmful/bothersome spirits.
Ghost Lights
Larger and brighter versions or orbs.
Ghost Month
Chinese celebration in which ghosts are said to come to Earth to visit loved ones.
Ghost Ship
The apparition of a ship that has been known to have disappeared or wrecked in the past; apparition of a ship that warns of pending disaster.
Ghost Town
An abandoned town lacking inhabitants that is not necessarily haunted.
Ghost Train
Apparitions of trains that are not physically there.
Ghostly
Ghost-like; mystic; having traits of a ghost.
Ghoul
Violent ghosts.
Globule
A larger glob version of an orb.
Grave
Place in which a body is buried.
Graveyard
Place in which the dead are buried.
Gui
Chinese word for ghost.
H
Halloween
Americanised holiday that originated from Ireland as ‘All Hallows Eve’; celebrated to protect children from demons.
Haunted
Location with lingering soul(s); place that has paranormal activity.
Haunted House
Home that is haunted by a ghost/ghosts; a theme park attraction used for scaring purposes.
Haunters
Ghosts who are attached to a place, often emotionally.
Haunting
Paranormal phenomena including apparitions, unexplained sounds, smells, and other sensations, and odd occurrences involving a dead person.
Hindu Ghosts
Indian ghosts who died violently and didn’t get a proper burial.
Hoax
An act intended to trick people into believing something is real when it is not.
I
Immortal
Incapable of dying; someone who died and came back as the undead to live forever.
Incubus
A demonic entity capable of sexually arousing or assaulting women; the woman’s version of the succubus.
Independent Verification
Multiple experiences from different individuals who did not have any prior knowledge of paranormal occurrences.
Indirect Voice
Mediumistic phenomenon in which the discarnate entity appears to speak using the vocal apparatus of the medium.
Infestation
Repeated and persistent paranormal phenomena.
Insubstantiality
Lack of physical substance.
Intelligent Haunting
Haunting and paranormal activity caused by an intelligent or conscious spirit.
Invocation
The summoning of spirits.
Ion Field
Charged particles that ghosts can reverse the charge of.
Isipoki
South African word for ghost.
J
Jinn
Saudi Arabian word for ghost.
K
Keelung Ghost Day Festival
Taiwanese celebration for ghosts.
Kizuka
Kenyan word for ghost.
L
Levitation
The lifting of a person into the air without any visible means.
M
Macro-PK
Psychokinetic effects that can be directly observed rather than only inferred from statistical analysis.
Malevolent
Harmful; a dangerous ghost.
Malicious
Spirits who destroy or damage things of personal or financial value for the sake of causing harm.
Manifestation
An indication that something is present, real, or exists.
Maori Ghosts
New Zealand ghosts who speak only to magicians in whistles and squeaks.
Materialization
The formation of a visible and physical form of a spirit.
Matrixing
The minds attempt to create images as something else when they are not.
Measurement
Recording of temperature or electromagnetic field changes.
Medium
Psychic practitioner (see ‘Psychic’).
Metaphysics
The study of what is beyond the laws of physics.
Message-Bringers
Ghosts who bring messages, such as someone’s death, someone needing help, or something that will happen.
Mischief-Makers
Ghosts who are playful in their hauntings (see ‘Poltergeist’).
Mist
Foggy white patch in front of or behind objects.
Mortal
A living being that will be born, live, and die.
Multo
Phillipino word for ghost.
Murder
Act of killing an individual/multiple people intentionally (excluding kills on a battlefield).
N
Near-Death Experience (NDE)
An experience in which someone was pronounced dead or very close to death, but was still alive.
Necromancy
The practice of communicating with the dead in order to obtain knowledge of the future, others’ secrets, etc.
O
Obambo
African ghost; spirit of someone who died and did not receive a proper burial.
Observation
Watching/witnessing paranormal activity; noting things about an occurrence.
Occultism
Esoteric systems of belief and practice that assume the existence of mysterious forces and entities.
Orbs
Small, pale globes of light.
Ouija Board
Board used to contact spirits that is typically used in seances.
Outward Manifestation
The physical manifestation of paranormal activity.
P
Paranormal
Unable to be explained or understood in terms of scientific knowledge.
Parapsychology
The study of supposed mental phenomena that cannot be explained by known psychological or scientific principles, e.g. extrasensory perception and telepathy.
Parapsychologists
Individuals who study parapsychology; ghost hunters (see ‘Parapsychology’).
Phantom
An apparition or specter that exists only as energy.
Phantomania
The paralysis that occurs when one is under attack by supernatural or preternatural forces (also called ‘Psychic Paralysis’).
Phantom Dogs
Ghost dogs of superstition (see ‘Devil Hound’).
Phi Ta Khan Festival
Thailand’s ghost festival.
Planchette
A triangular instrument that is used as a pointer to answer questions on the Ouija Board.
Poltergeist
German word for “noisy spirit”; activity is often times playful and like that of a prankster.
Possession
When a person’s body is taken over by a spirit, often times a demonic one.
Prayer
Religious means of ridding of ghosts
Precognition
Knowledge of pending future events.
Premonition
Vision; feeling or warning about future events (see ‘Vision’).
Psychic
Claiming, or believed to have, extraordinary sensitivity to nonphysical or supernatural forces.
Psychic Attack
An attack that can either be mental or physical by a spirit.
R
Reincarnation
The belief in which a part of a person’s soul survives death and can be reborn in a new body in the future.
Repetition
Same occurrences produced by a ghost or haunting over and over again.
Replay Ghost
Ghosts who replay a point in their lives, and often do not interact in the living.
Residual Haunting
A psychic imprint of a scene that repeats itself; there is no interaction between the dead and the living.
Retroactive Psycho Kinesis
Paranormal influence that an agent can have on an experiment after it has been completed.
Retro Cognition
Paranormal knowledge of past events.
S
Sage
An herb used to rid of ghosts while it burns.
Salt
A mineral that is believed to block out ghosts if scattered.
Seance
A meeting at which a spiritualist attempts to receive communications from the spirits of the dead.
Shojo
Japanese ghosts that haunt the ocean and are friendly to the living.
Silk
Said to protect the wearer from ghosts.
Sleep Paralysis
A sensation of being awake but unable to move (also called ‘Old Hag Syndrome’).
Soul
The complex of human attributes that manifests as consciousness, thought, feeling, and will, regarded as distinct from the physical body.
Spectre
Ghostly apparition (also spelled ‘specter’).
Spettro
Italian word for ghost.
Spirit
Synonym for ghost (see ‘Ghost)
Spirit Message
Spoken, written, or coded messages from ghosts.
Spirit Photography
Photographs of ghosts.
Spiritualist
Religion based strongly on paranormal, death, and the afterlife.
Spogelse
Danish word for ghost.
Stigmata
Mysterious wounds or markings found on a person’s body that correspond with the wounds of Jesus Christ.
Strasidlo
Czech Republican word for ghost.
Subliminal Perception
Perceiving while lacking conscious awareness.
Succubus
A demonic entity that inspires lust in men and then assaults them.
Supernatural
Relating to or attributed to phenomena that cannot be explained by natural laws.
Superstition
Legend; embellished tale often passed down through the generations.
T
Taibhse
Irish word for ghost.
Telekinesis
Moving objects around solely by the power of the mind.
Telepathy
The ability to communicate mind-to-mind opposed to speaking.
Teleportation
Paranormal transportation of objects or people to a different place.
Tombstone
Grave marker (see ‘Grave’).
Translucent
Clear; possible to see through (see ‘Translucency’).
Translucency
Able to see through; clearness (see ‘Translucent’).
U
Undead
In fiction, especially vampire and zombie stories, people or other beings who are technically dead but still exist, move, and interact with the living in a physical form
V
Verification
Other witnesses/evidence to prove that an experience occured.
Vision
Dream that foretells a future event, such as good fortune, an accident, or a death.
Voodoo
Practice of black magic; originates from Haiti, and has spread into the New Orleans area.
Vortex
A white cloud shaped like a small, wispy tornado.
W
White Noise
A combination of all audible frequencies
Will-O’-The-Wisps
Ghost lights; scientists say they are burning gasses (also called ‘Jack-O’-Lanterns’).
Wraith
The ghost of a sorcerer who was unable to save himself with his spells.
Y
Yuurei
Japanese word for ghost, meaning “dim (yuu) “soul” (rei) (also spelled ‘Yurei’).
Z
Zombie
A dead corpse reanimated by a voodoo practitioner; in popular culture, often created by disease, nuclear energy/radiation, or other means.
Zweem
Dutch word for ghost.
