غول

Arabic

Etymology 1

From the root غ و ل (ḡ-w-l), related to غَالَ (ḡāla, “to seize”).

Compare Sumerian [script needed] (gula, “great”).

Noun

غُول • (ḡūl) f (plural أَغْوَال (ʔaḡwāl) or غِيلَان (ḡīlān))

1. ape, orangutan (obsolete)
2. ghoul, desert demon
3. demon, jinn, goblin, monster
4. ogre, cannibal, troll, oni, giant
5. calamity, disaster

Declension

Declension of noun غُول (ḡūl)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	غُول ḡūl	الْغُول al-ḡūl	غُول ḡūl
Nominative	غُولٌ ḡūlun	الْغُولُ al-ḡūlu	غُولُ ḡūlu
Accusative	غُولًا ḡūlan	الْغُولَ al-ḡūla	غُولَ ḡūla
Genitive	غُولٍ ḡūlin	الْغُولِ al-ḡūli	غُولِ ḡūli
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	غُولَيْن ḡūlayn	الْغُولَيْن al-ḡūlayn	غُولَيْ ḡūlay
Nominative	غُولَانِ ḡūlāni	الْغُولَانِ al-ḡūlāni	غُولَا ḡūlā
Accusative	غُولَيْنِ ḡūlayni	الْغُولَيْنِ al-ḡūlayni	غُولَيْ ḡūlay
Genitive	غُولَيْنِ ḡūlayni	الْغُولَيْنِ al-ḡūlayni	غُولَيْ ḡūlay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَغْوَال‎; غِيلَان ʔaḡwāl‎; ḡīlān	الْأَغْوَال‎; الْغِيلَان al-ʔaḡwāl‎; al-ḡīlān	أَغْوَال‎; غِيلَان ʔaḡwāl‎; ḡīlān
Nominative	أَغْوَالٌ‎; غِيلَانٌ ʔaḡwālun‎; ḡīlānun	الْأَغْوَالُ‎; الْغِيلَانُ al-ʔaḡwālu‎; al-ḡīlānu	أَغْوَالُ‎; غِيلَانُ ʔaḡwālu‎; ḡīlānu
Accusative	أَغْوَالًا‎; غِيلَانًا ʔaḡwālan‎; ḡīlānan	الْأَغْوَالَ‎; الْغِيلَانَ al-ʔaḡwāla‎; al-ḡīlāna	أَغْوَالَ‎; غِيلَانَ ʔaḡwāla‎; ḡīlāna
Genitive	أَغْوَالٍ‎; غِيلَانٍ ʔaḡwālin‎; ḡīlānin	الْأَغْوَالِ‎; الْغِيلَانِ al-ʔaḡwāli‎; al-ḡīlāni	أَغْوَالِ‎; غِيلَانِ ʔaḡwāli‎; ḡīlāni

Descendants

• Maltese: għul
• → English: ghoul, Algol
• French: goule

See also

• جِنّ (jinn, “jinn”)
• جَانّ (jānn, “jann”)
• نَسْنَاس (nasnās, “nasnas”)
• سعلاة (“sila”)
• قطرب (“qutrub”)

Etymology 2

Verbal noun of غَالَ (ḡāla, “to snatch, to grab, to take away”).

Noun

غَوْل • (ḡawl) m

1. taking away, snatching, seizing, grabbing

Declension

Declension of noun غَوْل (ḡawl)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	غَوْل ḡawl	الْغَوْل al-ḡawl	غَوْل ḡawl
Nominative	غَوْلٌ ḡawlun	الْغَوْلُ al-ḡawlu	غَوْلُ ḡawlu
Accusative	غَوْلًا ḡawlan	الْغَوْلَ al-ḡawla	غَوْلَ ḡawla
Genitive	غَوْلٍ ḡawlin	الْغَوْلِ al-ḡawli	غَوْلِ ḡawli

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic غُول (ḡūl, “ghoul, demon”).

Noun

غول • (gul) (plural غلان or اغوال)

1. ghoul, a demon said to feed on corpses
2. fabulous serpent of enormous size, dragon

   Synonyms: (dragon) اژدها (ejdeha), تنین (tinin), ثعبان (suʿban)

3. calamity, disaster, catastrophe, adversity
4. (figuratively) evil-minded person or thing

Descendants

• Turkish: gul

Further reading

• Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “gul5”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 1780
• Kélékian, Diran (1911) “غول”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[1], Constantinople: Mihran, page 878
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1687) “Draco”, in Complementum thesauri linguarum orientalium, seu onomasticum latino-turcico-arabico-persicum, simul idem index verborum lexici turcico-arabico-persici, quod latinâ, germanicâ, aliarumque linguarum adjectâ nomenclatione nuper in lucem editum‎^[2], Vienna, column 432
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1680) “غول”, in Thesaurus linguarum orientalium, Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, praecipuas earum opes à Turcis peculiariter usurpatas continens, nimirum Lexicon Turkico-Arabico-Persicum‎^[3], Vienna, column 3437
• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “غول”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[4], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 1354

Persian

Etymology 1

From Arabic غُول (ḡūl).

Noun

غول • (ğul) (plural غول‌ها (ğul-hâ))

1. ghoul
2. giant
3. monster

Etymology 2

Noun

غول • (ğôl) (obsolete)

1. Alternative form of آغل (âğol) penfold, caverns for cattle

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

غول • (ğôl) (obsolete)

1. twin children

Etymology 4

Noun

غول • (ğôl) (plural غول‌ها (ğôl-hâ))

1. Obsolete form of گوش (gôš, “ear”)

References

• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1892) “غول”, in A Comprehensive Persian–English dictionary, London: Routledge & K. Paul
• Vullers, Johann August (1856–1864) “اسپغول”, in Lexicon Persico-Latinum etymologicum cum linguis maxime cognatis Sanscrita et Zendica et Pehlevica comparatum, e lexicis persice scriptis Borhâni Qâtiu, Haft Qulzum et Bahâri agam et persico-turcico Farhangi-Shuûrî confectum, adhibitis etiam Castelli, Meninski, Richardson et aliorum operibus et auctoritate scriptorum Persicorum adauctum‎^[5] (in Latin), volume II, Gießen: J. Ricker, page 626b