I. spec ‧ ter /ˈspektə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: French ; Origin: spectre , from Latin spectrum ; ⇨ ↑ spectrum ]
the American spelling of ↑ spectre
II. spec ‧ tre BrE AmE British English , specter American English /ˈspektə $ -ər/ noun
1 . the spectre of something something that people are afraid of because it may affect them badly:
The recession is again raising the spectre of unemployment.
2 . [countable] literary a ↑ ghost
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THESAURUS
▪ ghost the spirit of a dead person that some people think they can feel or see in a place:
His ghost is believed to haunt the house.
▪ spirit a creature without a physical body, such as an angel or ghost:
evil spirits
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the spirit world
▪ apparition an image of a dead person that someone sees suddenly for a short time:
He claimed to have seen an apparition in the church.
▪ poltergeist a ghost that people cannot see, which throws things or moves things around:
The house was haunted by a poltergeist that makes things move around all by themselves, sometimes quite big things like beds or wardrobes.
▪ spook informal a ghost:
I’m not scared of spooks.
▪ phantom literary a frightening and unclear image of a dead person:
They had seen phantoms gliding on the surface of the water.
▪ spectre British English , specter American English literary a ghost, especially a frightening one:
She had looked like a spectre.
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The following night, the spectre appeared again.