ghast

Variation of gast, from Middle English gasten, from Old English gāstan (“to meditate”) and gǣstan (“to gast, frighten, afflict, torment”). More at gast. Spelling influenced by ghost.

ghast (third-person singular simple present ghasts, present participle ghasting, simple past and past participle ghasted)

1. Alternative form of gast

• aghast
• beghast
• ghastful
• ghastly
• ghastness

Poetic abbreviation of ghastly. Use as a noun influenced by ghost.

ghast (comparative more ghast, superlative most ghast)

1. Having a ghastly appearance; weird.

ghast (plural ghasts)

1. (fantasy) An evil spirit or monster; a ghoul.
   • 2000, Philip Pullman, The Amber Spyglass:

     The cliff-ghast wrenched off the fox's head, and fought his brothers for the entrails.

   • 2007, Ian Irvine, Runcible Jones & the Buried City:

     The most powerful of all undead creatures, ghasts feed on ghosts, dead souls and, most especially, live ones. They want to take over Iltior and set up a ghast empire.

• Ghats, ghats