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. |