# barghest

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbɑːˌɡɛst/

## Definitions
1. A legendary monstrous black dog, said to possess large teeth and claws, and (sometimes) to be capable of changing form.
2. Any ghost, wraith, hobgoblin, elf, or spirit.

## Etymology
Probably inherited from Northern Middle English *berghgast, *barghgast, from bergh, bargh (“barrow”) + gast (“ghost”). Alternative hypotheses that first element is burgh (“town”) or bere (“bear”) lack semantic motivation.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/barghest