n. & v.
n. 1 the supposed apparition of a dead person or animal; a disembodied spirit. 2 a shadow or mere semblance (not a ghost of a chance). 3 an emaciated or pale person. 4 a secondary or duplicated image produced by defective television reception or by a telescope. 5 archaic a spirit or soul.
v. 1 intr. (often foll. by for) act as ghost-writer. 2 tr. act as ghost-writer of (a work). ghost town a deserted town with few or no remaining inhabitants. ghost-write v.tr. & intr. act as ghost-writer (of). ghost-writer a person who writes on behalf of the credited author of a work. ghostlike adj.
[ OE gast f. WG: gh- occurs first in Caxton, prob. infl. by Flem. gheest ]