Gastly
adj, adv ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Obsolete spelling of ghastly. alt-of, obsolete
"[E]uen in ſléepe ſome ſpice of imagined malice gnaweth him, combering his ſoule with ſpirites of miſchiefe, making his bodie gaſtly and his minde afrighted with trouble, and appearing vnto men as it were with a pernicious ſpirite, and pouring out of poiſõ."
- 1 Obsolete spelling of ghastly. alt-of, obsolete
"And with theſe woꝛdes, the voyce was ceaſt and gone, / And at the gaſe I gaſtly quaking ſtood: […]"
Example
More examples"[E]uen in ſléepe ſome ſpice of imagined malice gnaweth him, combering his ſoule with ſpirites of miſchiefe, making his bodie gaſtly and his minde afrighted with trouble, and appearing vnto men as it were with a pernicious ſpirite, and pouring out of poiſõ."
Etymology
From Middle English gastly, equivalent to gast (“to frighten”) + -ly (adjective-forming suffix).
From the adjective, equivalent to gast (“to frighten”) + -ly (adverb-forming suffix).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.