different between aghast vs ghast

English

Etymology

From Middle English agast, agasted, past participle of agasten (“to terrify”), from Old English a- (compare with Gothic ????????- (us-), German er-, originally meaning "out") + gæstan (“to terrify, torment”): compare Gothic ???????????????????????????????????? (usgaisjan, “to terrify”, literally “to fix, to root to the spot with terror”); akin to Latin haerere (“to stick fast, cling”). See gaze, hesitate.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /???æst/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?????st/

  Rhymes: -æst, -??st

Adjective

aghast (comparative more aghast, superlative most aghast)

1. Terrified; struck with amazement; showing signs of terror or horror.
   • 1902, The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle.

     And while the revellers stood aghast at the fury of the man, one more wicked or, it may be, more drunken than the rest, cried out that they should put the hounds upon her.

   • 1985, Les Misérables, the song "Red and Black"

     I am agog! I am aghast! Is Marius in love at last?

   • 2013, Daniel Taylor, Rickie Lambert's debut goal gives England victory over Scotland (in The Guardian, 14 August 2013)[1]

     Hart, for one, will not remember the night for Lambert's heroics. Morrison, not closed down quickly enough, struck his shot well but England's No1 will be aghast at the way it struck his gloves then skidded off his knees and into the net.

Translations

Anagrams

• Gathas, HA-tags, gatahs, gathas

English

Etymology 1

Variation of gast, from Middle English gasten, from Old English g?stan (“to meditate”) and g?stan (“to gast, frighten, afflict, torment”). More at gast. Spelling influenced by ghost.

Verb

ghast (third-person singular simple present ghasts, present participle ghasting, simple past and past participle ghasted)

1. Alternative form of gast

Derived terms

• aghast
• beghast
• ghastful
• ghastly
• ghastness

Etymology 2

Poetic abbreviation of ghastly. Use as a noun influenced by ghost.

Adjective

ghast (comparative more ghast, superlative most ghast)

1. Having a ghastly appearance; weird.

Translations

Noun

ghast (plural ghasts)

1. (fantasy) An evil spirit or monster; a ghoul.

Translations

Anagrams

• Ghats, ghats