/ guːl; NAmE / noun
1.
(in stories) an evil spirit that opens graves and eats the dead bodies in them
2.
( disapproving ) a person who is too interested in unpleasant things such as death and disaster
► ghoul·ish / ˈguːlɪʃ; NAmE / adjective :
ghoulish laughter
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WORD ORIGIN
late 18th cent.: from Arabic ġūl , a desert demon believed to rob graves and devour corpses.