Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A ghost that manifests itself by noises, rappings, and the creation of disorder.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A ghost or spirit that indicates its presence by the sound of moving objects, knocks, and similar noises.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An unseen ghost which makes noises and causes disruption, especially by causing physical objects to move or fly about.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a ghost that announces its presence with rapping and the creation of disorder

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[German : poltern, to make noises (from Middle High German boldern) + Geist, ghost (from Middle High German, from Old High German).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From German Polter ("rumble") + Geist ("spirit").

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Examples

  • The term poltergeist is German for “noisy spirit.”

    Experiencing the Next World Now Michael Grosso 2004

  • The term poltergeist is German for “noisy spirit.”

    Experiencing the Next World Now Michael Grosso 2004

  • The term poltergeist is German for “noisy spirit.”

    Experiencing the Next World Now Michael Grosso 2004

  • I mean, it didnâ⠂ ¬â „ ¢t catch the zeitgeist of the country like E.T. but of course these are 2 completely different kinds of movies. poltergeist is a horror film which at the time was projecting Hollywoodâ⠂ ¬â „ ¢s fears of the TV or namely the influx of a little thing called home video ..

    KAMN Show #31: Poltergeist : The Kick-Ass Mystic Ninjas 2007

  • Lastly, I think poltergeist is not all that dated.

    KAMN Show #31: Poltergeist : The Kick-Ass Mystic Ninjas 2007

  • The good news: the world's most trivial poltergeist is no longer haunting our clock.

    Who Ya Gonna Call? roverthedog 2007

  • "It's a sort of evil spirit that plays tricks," explained Tuppence who in reality knew very little of the subject, and was not even sure that she had got the word poltergeist right.

    Partners In Crime Christie, Agatha, 1890-1976 1984

  • “Being asked, further, whether she had ever considered that what she called the poltergeist was more probably some mischievous person who was taking advantage of the fact that the house had a ghostly reputation among the villagers, she replied that she ‘had thought of it, of course,’ and added: ‘We always investigated each house we took of this kind to make sure nobody was playing about.

    When Last I Died Mitchell, Gladys, 1901- 1941

  • When the family returns to the kid’s room, the young Carol Anne, who served almost as a conduit to the poltergeist, is nowhere to be found.

    TEN of TERROR #1: Poltergeist « Giant Killer Squid - Film, Comics, News, Reviews and more 2009

  • Edward Morris 11:57 pm: My poltergeist was a junkie, and a great jazz musician.

    Transcript: Ghosts! « Coyote Con 2010

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