Ghosthunter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who actively searches for and studies supernatural beings while documenting their findings in the context of paranormal investigation
2. An individual focused on locating and examining incorporeal entities, contributing to the understanding of ghostly phenomena
3. Someone who looks for ghosts and tries to gather evidence of their presence in haunted places

Etymology: "Ghosthunter" is a plain compound: "ghost" joined to "hunter," the familiar word for someone who pursues or seeks out a thing. "Ghost" comes from Old English "gast," meaning spirit or breath, and "hunter" comes from Old English "huntere," from the verb "hunt." Joining the two produces a literal description of someone chasing spirits, with no change in either part's sense. The compound's pieces are old, but the combined word is a modern formation whose meaning has shifted with popular culture. Its literal sense, a person who hunts ghosts, now describes investigators who visit reputedly haunted sites with recording equipment, a use that the everyday parts of the word make immediately clear.

Synonyms: paranormal investigator