wraith

[reyth] /reɪθ/
noun
1.
an apparition of a living person supposed to portend his or her death.
2.
a visible spirit.
Origin
1505-15; originally Scots; origin uncertain
Related forms
wraithlike, adjective
Can be confused
wraith, wreath, wreathe, writhe.
Examples from the web for wraith
  • Now he is a stooped wraith unable to focus his eyes, bathe himself or walk without help.
  • As listless, pounding or archly chipper music plays, still photos of one wraith after another surface and fade.
British Dictionary definitions for wraith

wraith

/reɪθ/
noun
1.
the apparition of a person living or thought to be alive, supposed to appear around the time of his death
2.
a ghost or any apparition
3.
an insubstantial copy of something
4.
something pale, thin, and lacking in substance, such as a column of smoke
Derived Forms
wraithlike, adjective
Word Origin
C16: Scottish, of unknown origin
Word Origin and History for wraith
n.

1510s, "ghost," Scottish, of uncertain origin. Weekley suggests Old Norse vorðr "guardian" in the sense of "guardian angel." Klein points to Gaelic and Irish arrach "specter, apparition."