ˈrāth noun
( plural wraiths -ths sometimes -thz)
Etymology: origin unknown
1.
a. : an apparition of a living person in his exact likeness seen usually just before his death — compare doppelgänger
b. : a visible apparition of a dead person : ghost , specter
2. : water sprite
3. : an insubstantial copy, remainder, or appearance of something : shadow
pale wraiths of their formidable namesakes — Times Literary Supplement
hits not the wraith of socialism but the flesh and blood of the farmers — M.W.Straight
4. : a barely visible gaseous or vaporous column resembling a wraith
thin wraiths of smoke curled up and lost themselves in the sky — E.A.McCourt