Spectralness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A quality that resembles or suggests a ghostly or supernatural presence
2. The characteristic of being ethereal or haunting in appearance or essence
3. An attribute that conveys an otherworldly or translucent nature, often associated with apparitions or phantoms

Etymology: "Spectralness" is a plain combination of two English parts: "spectral," meaning ghostly or ethereal, and the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun naming a quality or state. The result names the quality of being spectral, much as "darkness" names the quality of being dark. "Spectral" traces back to Latin "spectrum," meaning an appearance or apparition, from "specere," to look or see. That same root gave English "spectacle" and "spectator," and the older sense of "spectrum" as a ghostly image survives in the adjective. The word's ghostly sense came first; the optical sense of a band of colours emerged later and was borrowed into scientific use. Because "-ness" can attach to almost any adjective, "spectralness" is a formation that readers can build on the spot, which is why it is easy to understand even though it is rarely written down.