غول

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 (ʾaḡwāl) 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 ʾaḡwāl‎; ḡīlān	الْأَغْوَال‎‎; الْغِيلَان‎ al-ʾaḡwāl‎; al-ḡīlān	أَغْوَال‎‎; غِيلَان‎ ʾaḡwāl‎; ḡīlān
Nominative	أَغْوَالٌ‎‎; غِيلَانٌ‎ ʾaḡwālun‎; ḡīlānun	الْأَغْوَالُ‎‎; الْغِيلَانُ‎ al-ʾaḡwālu‎; al-ḡīlānu	أَغْوَالُ‎‎; غِيلَانُ‎ ʾaḡwālu‎; ḡīlānu
Accusative	أَغْوَالًا‎‎; غِيلَانًا‎ ʾaḡwālan‎; ḡīlānan	الْأَغْوَالَ‎‎; الْغِيلَانَ‎ al-ʾaḡwāla‎; al-ḡīlāna	أَغْوَالَ‎‎; غِيلَانَ‎ ʾaḡwāla‎; ḡīlāna
Genitive	أَغْوَالٍ‎‎; غِيلَانٍ‎ ʾaḡwālin‎; ḡīlānin	الْأَغْوَالِ‎‎; الْغِيلَانِ‎ al-ʾaḡwāli‎; al-ḡīlāni	أَغْوَالِ‎‎; غِيلَانِ‎ ʾaḡwāli‎; 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

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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, 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, 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, Vienna, column 3437
• Redhouse, James W. (1890), “غول”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon, Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 1354

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Persian

Etymology 1

From Arabic غُول‎ (ḡūl).

Noun

غول • (ğūl) (plural غول‌ها‎ (ğūl-hâ))

1. ghoul
2. giant
3. monster

Noun

غول • (ğōl) (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 • (ğōl) (obsolete)

1. twin children

Noun

غول • (ğōl) (plural غول‌ها‎ (ğōl-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 (in Latin), volume II, Bonn: Adolf Marcus, page 626b