bogeyman

C2+ Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives

US /ˈboʊɡimæn/ UK /ˈbəʊɡimæn/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
an imaginary evil spirit invoked to frighten children; a dreaded threat

Parents warned that the bogeyman lurked under the bed.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an imaginary evil spirit... bugbear specter ogre monster fiend hobgoblin spook

Word family

Related forms bogeyboggartbogle

Etymology

A compound of bogey ('specter, goblin') + man; bogey is of obscure origin, related to dialectal bogle and boggart and possibly to Middle English bugge ('frightening specter').

bugge Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary

External links

# bogeyman

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈboʊɡimæn/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈbəʊɡimæn/

## Meanings
1. an imaginary evil spirit invoked to frighten children; a dreaded threat

## Examples
- Parents warned that the bogeyman lurked under the bed.

## Synonyms
- bugbear
- specter
- ogre
- monster
- fiend
- hobgoblin
- spook

## Related Forms
- bogey
- boggart
- bogle

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: bugge

## Etymology
A compound of bogey ('specter, goblin') + man; bogey is of obscure origin, related to dialectal bogle and boggart and possibly to Middle English bugge ('frightening specter').

## AI Etymology
Bogeyman is a compound of bogey ('specter, goblin') + man; bogey is of obscure origin, related to dialectal bogle and boggart and possibly to Middle English bugge ('frightening specter'). The historical trail runs through bugge in Middle English. Morphologically, bogeyman is transparent: it is a compound of bogey ('specter, goblin') + man. Used as a noun, bogeyman now means "an imaginary evil spirit invoked to frighten children; a dreaded threat", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as bogey, boggart, and bogle. That uncertainty is part of the entry: the safest account is the attested form and the limited comparisons preserved with it.

## Topics
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- General Vocabulary

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