different between spectral vs ghastly

English

Etymology

Equivalent to spectre +? -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?sp?kt???/

Adjective

spectral (comparative more spectral, superlative most spectral)

1. Of, or pertaining to, spectres; ghostly.

   Synonym: ghostly

   Antonym: nonspectral
2. Of, or pertaining to, spectra; classified according to frequency or wavelength (of light etc)

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• cepstral, craplets, sceptral

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sp?k.t?al/

Adjective

spectral (feminine singular spectrale, masculine plural spectraux, feminine plural spectrales)

1. spectral

Related terms

• spectre

Further reading

• “spectral” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Romanian

Etymology

French spectral

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [spek?tral]

Adjective

spectral m or n (feminine singular spectral?, masculine plural spectrali, feminine and neuter plural spectrale)

1. spectral

Declension

Synonyms

• fantomatic

Related terms

• spectru

English

Etymology

From a conflation of a derivation of Old English g?stan (“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.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /????s(t).li/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??æs(t).li/

Adjective

ghastly (comparative ghastlier, superlative ghastliest)

1. Like a ghost in appearance; death-like; pale; pallid; dismal.
   • 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

     Each turned his face with a ghastly pang.
2. Horrifyingly shocking.
3. Extremely bad.

Synonyms

• (sickly pale): See also Thesaurus:pallid
• (horrifyingly shocking): lurid

Translations

Adverb

ghastly (not comparable)

1. In a ghastly manner.
   • 1921, William Dudley Pelley, The Fog: A Novel, page 196:

     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?"