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).
Phrases and idioms:
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.
Derivatives:
ghostlike adj.
Etymology: OE gast f. WG: gh- occurs first in Caxton, prob. infl. by Flem. gheest