phantom

B1 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈfæntəm/ See IPA manual

Freq #6890

Meanings

1

noun
A ghost or something that seems to appear but is not really there.

The old castle was said to be haunted by a phantom.
2

adj
Not real; existing only in the mind or seeming to exist.

After losing his arm, he still felt phantom pain where it had been.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a ghost or something that... apparition ghost

Word family

Forms phantoms

Derived forms phantogramphantomicphantomishphantomismphantomistphantomizationphantomizephantomlikephantomnessphantomryphantomshipphantomwise

Related forms fantasy

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

phantom limb
the sensation that an amputated limb is still present

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Phantom is recorded from Middle English and comes from phantasma, “mere appearance.” It belongs to the same family as fantastic and ultimately goes back to phainon, “to show.”

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English fantome, fanteme, from Old French fantosme, fantasme, from Latin phantasma (“an apparition, specter; (in Late Latin also) appearance, image”), from Ancient Greek φάντασμα (phántasma, “phantasm, an appearance, image, apparition, specter”), from φαντάζω (phantázō, “to make visible”). Doublet of phantasm.

fantome Middle English fantosme Old French phantasma Latin φάντασμα Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# phantom

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈfæntəm/
**Frequency rank:** 6890

## Meanings
1. A ghost or something that seems to appear but is not really there.
2. Not real; existing only in the mind or seeming to exist.

## Examples
- The old castle was said to be haunted by a phantom.
- After losing his arm, he still felt phantom pain where it had been.

## Synonyms
- ghost

## Derived Forms
- phantogram
- phantomic
- phantomish
- phantomism
- phantomist
- phantomization
- phantomize
- phantomlike
- phantomness
- phantomry
- phantomship
- phantomwise

## Related Forms
- fantasy

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: fantome
- Root: fantosme
- Root: phantasma
- Root: φάντασμα

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English fantome, fanteme, from Old French fantosme, fantasme, from Latin phantasma (“an apparition, specter; (in Late Latin also) appearance, image”), from Ancient Greek φάντασμα (phántasma, “phantasm, an appearance, image, apparition, specter”), from φαντάζω (phantázō, “to make visible”). Doublet of phantasm.

## AI Etymology
Phantom is inherited from Middle English fantome, fanteme, from Old French fantosme, fantasme, from Latin phantasma (“an apparition, specter; (in Late Latin also) appearance, image”), from Ancient Greek φάντασμα (phántasma, “phantasm, an appearance, image, apparition, specter”), from φαντάζω (phantázō, “to make visible”). Doublet of phantasm. In present-day English it covers a ghost or something that seems to appear but is not really there and not real; existing only in the mind or seeming to exist. The wider family includes derived forms such as phantogram, phantomic, phantomish, phantomism, phantomist and related forms such as fantasy.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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