Association of British Scrabble Players

Culture > Myth > Gods, Spirits, Fairies etc.


Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.


aesir the Norse gods.
afreet afrit in Arabian mythology, an evil spirit or giant monster.
aitu in Polynesia, a demigod.
alastor an avenging deity in Greek tragedy.
amazon one of a fabulous race of female warriors in Scythia; hence, a female warrior, a tall, powerful woman.
amoretto a cherub or spirit of love > AMORETTOS or AMORETTI.
angel a divine messenger.
angelic angelical of or like an angel.
anguiped anguipede a mythical giant having feet or legs in the form of snakes > ANGUIPEDS, ANGUIPEDES. [L. anguis, snake, + pes, foot].
apsaras a divine water sprite > APSARASES. N.B. no APSARA*.
archangel a top-ranking ANGEL.
atua (Maori) a spirit, a demon.
auf an elf's child. [ON alfr, elf].
baal a false god > BAALS or BAALIM.
bacchic relating to the worship of Bacchus; orgiastic.
banshee banshie in Irish folklore, a female spirit who wails and shrieks before the death of a member of a family. [Irish bean sidhe, woman of fairyland].
bodach (Gaelic) a goblin or spectre.
bogeyism bogyism the creation of bogies.
boogyman boogieman a goblin, a bugbear, an object of special dread.
boggard boggart bogle boggle a spectre or goblin.
brownie a benevolent creature who may secretly help with domestic work.
bugaboo a bugbear. [Welsh bwci bo, bogey].
buggan buggane buggin an evil spirit, a hobgoblin.
cacodaemon cacodemon an evil spirit; a devil. [Gk. kakos, bad + daimon, spirit].
celestial a celestial being.
changeling a child substituted for another, especially one supposed to be left by the fairies.
cherub in Christian theology, a member of the second order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy, ranking directly below the SERAPHIM and above the THRONES > CHERUBS or CHERUBIM.
daemon daimon a spirit holding a middle place between gods and men.
daemonic daimonic having the qualities of a DAEMON or DAIMON.
deev div in Iranian (esp. Zoroastrian) mythology: a demonic power.
dei pl. DEUS, god.
deil (Scots) devil.
deity a god.
demigod a half-god; a person whose nature is partly divine, esp a hero fabled to be, or idolized as, the offspring of a god and a mortal.
demigoddess a half-goddess; a woman whose nature is partly divine, esp a heroine fabled to be, or idolized as, the offspring of a god and a mortal.
demiurge demiurgus an inferior god who created world; a creative power or spirit. [Gk. demiourgos, from demos, the people + ergon, a work]. The pl. of DEMIURGUS is DEMIURGUSES.
demon an evil spirit or devil.
demoness a female demon.
demoniac a person possessed by a demon or evil spirit.
demoniacal like a DEMONIAC.
demonian relating to, or having the nature of, a demon.
demonic demonical of or like a demon.
demonry demonic activity.
deus a god > DI or DEI.
dev deva a Hindu god; a divine being.
devil a chief evil spirit; (verb) to season highly and broil. Pt. DEVILED or DEVILLED.
devildom the realm of devils.
deviless a she-devil.
devilet devilkin a little devil.
devilship the character or person of a devil or the Devil.
devling a small devil, a DEVILET.
dibbuk dybbuk a dead person's soul inhabiting a living person > DIBBUKS or DIBBUKIM; DYBBUKS or DYBBUKIM.
div see DEEV.
divineness the quality of being divine; superhuman or supreme excellence.
divinity the quality of being divine; a spirit possessing this quality.
divinise divinize to invest with a divine character.
djinn etc. one of a class of spirits in Muslim theology. The forms of this word are a total mess with great confusion over plural and singular, but possibilities can be tabulated as follows:
Singular Plural
DJINN DJINNS
DJIN DJINS
DJINNI DJINN (not DJINNIS*)
DJINNY DJINN (not DJINNIES*)
GENIE GENIES or GENII or GINN
JIN JINS
JINN JINNS
JINNI JINN or JINNIS
JINNEE JINN (not JINNEES*)
 
dobbie dobby a brownie.
doppelganger a ghostly counterpart of a living person.
dryad a wood nymph > DRYADS or DRYADES. [Gk. dryas, wood-nymph].
dryadic like a DRYAD.
duppy in the West Indies, a ghost.
dwarf in folklore, a small manlike creature, esp a metalworker > DWARFS or DWARVES.
dybbuk see DIBBUK.
elf in European folklore, a supernatural being, generally of human form but diminutive size, sometimes more malignant than a fairy; (verb) to tangle hair > ELFS, ELFING, ELFED.
elfhood elfishness elvishness the state of being an elf.
elfin a little elf.
elfish elvish like an elf.
elfishly elvishly in the manner of an elf.
elfland the land of the elves or fairies.
elflike like an ELF.
elven of or relating to elves.
elvish see ELFISH.
empusa empuse a phantom or specter sent by Hecate; a genus of fungi parasitic on houseflies.
ephialtes an evil spirit supposed to cause nightmares; nightmare > EPHIALTES.
erlking a spirit that does mischief or evil, esp. to children. [Ger. Erlkonig, alder-king].
eten ettin a giant.
eudaemon eudemon eudaimon a benevolent spirit.
faerie faery the world of fairies, fairyland.
fairily in the manner of a fairy.
fairy a creature of folklore, an imaginary being, generally of diminutive and graceful human form, capable of kindly or unkindly acts towards man; (adj.) like a fairy > FAIRIER, FAIRIEST.
fairydom the world of fairies.
fairyhood the state of being a fairy.
fairyism the state of being a fairy.
fairyland the land of the FAIRIES.
fairylike like a FAIRY.
fantasm phantasm an airy or insubstantial figure, an apparition, a spectre.
fantom a PHANTOM.
faun a rural deity represented as a man with a goat's ears, horns, tail, and hind legs.
faunlike like a FAUN.
fetch a WRAITH or DOPPELGANGER.
fiend a devil.
flibbertigibbet orig. an imp; now more usually a gossipy, flighty person.
garuda a Hindu demigod, part man, part bird.
genie see DJINN.
genius the tutelary or attendant spirit in classical pagan belief allotted to every person at birth, or to a place, institution, etc > GENIUSES or GENII.
ghoul in Arabic mythology, a desert demon preying on travellers; gen. an evil spirit or demon supposed to rob graves and devour corpses. [Arabic ghul].
ghoulie a ghoul.
giantry the race of giants.
glendoveer a heavenly spirit.
gnome a mythical sprite guarding the inner parts of the earth and its treasures; a dwarf or goblin; a pithy saying > GNOMES or (in the sense of a saying) GNOMAE.
gnomelike like a gnome.
gnomish like a gnome.
gobbeline a goblin.
goblin an unpleasant or mischievous sprite in the form of an old man.
god a superhuman being, an object of worship; (verb) to deify, treat as a god > GODDED, GODDING.
goddess a female GOD.
godlily in a godly manner.
godliness the quality of being GODLY.
godling a diminutive god.
godly like a god > GODLIER, GODLIEST.
godship the rank or character of a god; divinity.
golem an artificial human endowed with life by supernatural means. [Yiddish goylem f. Heb. golem shapeless mass].
gremlin a goblin accused of vexing airmen, causing mischief and mechanical trouble to aircraft; any imaginary mischievous creature.
gytrash a ghost or apparition.
hamadryad a wood nymph associated with one particular tree; also, a king cobra > HAMADRYADES or HAMADRYADS. [Gk. hamadryas, from hama, together + drys (oak) tree].
hob a supernatural creature or fairy, such as Robin Goodfellow.
hobbit one of a race of imaginary beings, half human size, hole-dwelling and hairy-footed, invented by JRR Tolkien in his novel The Hobbit.
hobbitry the state of being a HOBBIT.
hobgoblin a mischievous fairy; a frightful apparition.
hobgoblinism hobgoblinry the state of being a HOBGOBLIN. (Curious when there is no GOBLINISM* or GOBLINRY*, but there you go...).
hoblike suggestive of an elf.
houri any of the virgins of the Muslim paradise, promised as wives to believers; hence, a voluptuously beautiful woman > HOURIS.
imp a little devil; (verb) to graft, to splice a falcon's broken feathers.
impish like an IMP, mischievous.
incubus an evil spirit that lies on women in their sleep; a nightmare > INCUBI or INCUBUSES.
jann the least powerful order of JINN.
jin see DJINN.
jinnee see DJINN.
jinni see DJINN.
jotun jotunn a giant (in Norse myth).
jumbie jumby a ghost or evil spirit.
kami a Japanese divine being > KAMIS.
kehua (Maori) a ghost, a spirit.
kobold a mischievous elf in German folklore, found esp. in mines.
lar the god relating to a house > LARES or LARS.
leprechaun leprechawn a small supernatural creature in Irish folklore.
leprechaunish like a LEPRECHAUN, a small supernatural creature in Irish folklore.
maelid an apple nymph. [Gk. melon apple, soft-skinned fruit].
mana an impersonal supernatural force.
manes spirits of the dead; ghosts.
manito manitou manitu a name given by tribes of American Indians to a great spirit, whether good or evil, or to any object of worship. [Ojibwa manito].
marid a JINN of the most powerful class.
menshen (Chinese) a door god.
merchild the child of a mermaid > MERCHILDREN.
merfolk mermen and mermaids.
mermaid mermaiden a mythical creature with a woman's upper body and a fish's tail.
merman a male of the MERMAID kind.
merpeople mermaids and mermen. Cf. MERFOLKS.
monopod monopode a one-footed person of fabulous Ethiopian race, with foot large enough to be a sunshade.
morphean morphetic relating to Morpheus, the god of sleep.
naiad a water-nymph; also, an aquatic larva of dragonfly > NAIADS or NAIADES. [GK. naias, -ados, plural -ades, from naein, to flow].
nereid a sea nymph, one of the daughters of Nereus, attendant upon Neptune > NEREIDES. Also, a marine polychaete worm, pl. NEREIDS.
nereis a sea nymph, one of the daughters of Nereus > NEREIDES.
nimrod any great hunter. [From the son of Cush in Bible, Genesis 10.8].
nis nisse in Scandinavian folklore, a brownie or goblin > NISSES.
nix a water sprite (cf. NIXIE) > NIXES or NIXE; (verb) to veto or cancel.
nixie nixy a female NIX or malignant water-spirit.
numen a local or presiding divinity; a god in human form > NUMINA.
numinous supernatural, mysterious; filled with a sense of the presence of divinity; (noun) something filled with a sense of the presence of divinity.
nymph one of the divinities who lived in mountains, rivers, tree etc.
nymphal nymphean nymphic nymphical nymphish relating to nymphs.
nymphlike like a nymph.
nymphly resembling, or characteristic of, a nymph > NYMPHLIER, NYMPHLIEST.
oceanid an ocean nymph > OCEANIDS or OCEANIDES.
ogre a cannibalistic giant.
ogreish ogrish like an ogre.
ogreism ogrism the character or manners of an ogre.
ogress a lady ogre.
ogrishly ogreishly in the manner of an ogre.
ondine undine a female water spirit.
oread a mountain nymph > OREADS or OREADES. Cf. NAIAD, DRYAD.
orphic orphical mystical, oracular.
panisc panisk an inferior god, attendant upon Pan.
penates the household gods of a Roman family. Cf. LARES. N.B. no PENATE*.
peri in Persian mythology, a fairy > PERIS.
phantasm an airy or insubstantial figure, an apparition, a spectre.
phantasma a phantasm > PHANTASMATA.
phantom an immaterial form, a spectre.
phantomy like a phantom.
phantosme (Spenser) a phantom.
phoebus a sun god; the sun.
pisky pixie pixy a small fairy.
pixieish pixyish like a pixie.
pixiness the state of being like a PIXY.
plutonian of, relating to, or characteristic of Pluto or the lower world > infernal.
poltergeist a spirit believed to manifest itself by making noises and moving physical objects.
pooka in Irish folklore, a malevolent goblin.
pouke puck a mischievous sprite.
promachos a champion or defender; a tutelary god > PROMACHOSES.
puck see POUKE.
puckish like a PUCK, impish.
puckishly in the manner of a PUCK.
rakshas in Hindu mythology, an evil spirit > RAKSHASES.
rakshasa in Hindu mythology, an evil spirit.
rawhead a spectre mentioned to frighten children; as, rawhead and bloodybones.
rusalka a Russian water-nymph.
sandman a mythical being that brings sleep.
satanic satanical devilish.
satanicalness the state of being SATANICAL.
satyr a Greek god of the woodlands, with a tail and long ears, represented by the Romans as part goat.
satyra satyress a female satyr.
satiric satyrical of satyrs; having a chorus of satyrs.
satyrisk a little satyr.
satyrlike like a satyr.
seamaid a mermaid.
seelie good benevolent fairies. No —S.
seraph in Christian theology, a member of the highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy > SERAPHS, SERAPHIM, previously also SERAPHIMS, SERAPHIN, SERAPHINS; SERAPHIN and SERAPHIM also occur as obsolete singulars.
shaitan sheitan an evil spirit.
shellycoat a water goblin dressed in shells.
sidh sidhe (Irish) fairy people.
silen silenus a satyr-like woodland god, an attendant of Bacchus. The pl. of SILENUS is SILENI.
siren a kind of mermaid.
skyborn of heavenly birth.
spectre spectre an apparition.
spook a ghost; a spy; (verb) to frighten, startle.
spookily in the manner of a spook.
spookish spooky.
spooky like a spook, ghostly > SPOOKIER, SPOOKIEST.
spright a spirit; (verb) to haunt, bedevil.
sprite a goblin, elf, imp, impish or implike person.
spriteful impish.
succuba a female demon or fiend > SUCCUBAE or SUCCUBAS.
succubine of or pertaining to SUCCUBI.
succubus a demon assuming female form to have intercourse with men in their sleep > SUCCUBUSES or SUCCUBI.
sylph an elemental being without a soul believed to inhabit the air; a slim graceful woman or girl.
sylphic of or like a SYLPH.
sylphid sylphide a young SYLPH.
sylphine pertaining to a SYLPH, a spirit of the air.
sylphlike like a sylph.
sylvan (noun) a wood-god, a forest-dweller.
syren a siren.
taisch taish an apparition of someone about to die. [Gaelic taibhis, apparition].
tangie an Orcadian water-spirit, appearing as a seahorse, or a man covered with seaweed. [From tang, seaweed].
tenebrio a night spirit, a night prowler > TENEBRIOS.
thelf (Spenser) the elf > THELVES.
titan (with capital) one of the elder gods overthrown by Zeus; (without capital) anything gigantic.
titaness a female TITAN.
tokoloshe tikoloshe tokoloshi in Bantu folklore, a hairy malevolent dwarflike creature with supernatural powers. [Zulu tikoloshe].
troll an evil-tempered ugly dwarf (or, earlier, giant).
trollish resembling a troll.
trow another form of TROLL; also, a verb, to believe.
tutelar a guardian spirit, god or saint.
undergod a lower or inferior god; a subordinate deity; a demigod.
undine see ONDINE.
undivine not divine.
unseelie evil malevolent fairies. No —S.
valkyr valkyrie walkyrie in Norse mythology, a chooser of the slain.
vampire in E. European folklore, a dead person that leaves the grave to drink the blood of the living; (verb) to prey upon as a vampire.
vampiric like a vampire.
vampirise vampirize to play the vampire.
vampirish like a vampire.
vampirism the practice of a vampire.
wahconda wakanda waconda a supernatural force in Sioux belief.
wairua (Maori) a spirit, a soul.
walkyrie see VALKYR.
wili in the ballet Giselle, the spirit of a girl who dies before her wedding day.
wirricow worricow worrycow the devil, a hobgoblin, anything frightening.
woodwose woodhouse a wild man of the woods, used in heraldry as a supporter.
wraith a spectre; an apparition, esp of a living person.
zombi zombie in voodoo, a supernatural force or spirit that can enter a dead body; also, the soulless body that is revive. [Kimbundu nzambi (god, ghost). Kimbundu is a Bantu language of northern Angola].
zomboid resembling a zombie.