phantasm

noun

phan·tasm ˈfan-ˌta-zəm How to pronounce phantasm (audio)

variants or less commonly fantasm

: a product of fantasy: such as

: delusive appearance : illusion

: ghost, specter

: a figment of the imagination

: a mental representation of a real object

phantasmal

fan-ˈtaz-məl How to pronounce phantasm (audio)

adjective

phantasmic

fan-ˈtaz-mik How to pronounce phantasm (audio)

adjective

Did you know?

Phantasm is from Middle English fantasme, a borrowing from Anglo-French fantasme, which itself is a derivative of Latin and Greek words—and ultimately the Greek verb phantazein, meaning "to present to the mind." The Greek verb took shape from phainein, meaning "to show," and this root appears in several English words that have to do with the way things seem or appear rather than the way they really are. Phantasmagoria and diaphanous are examples. Also from this root are words such as fanciful and fantasy, in which the imagination plays an important part.

Example Sentences

frightened by the phantasms of his own making believed that she'd seen the phantasm of her father on the anniversary of his death

Recent Examples on the Web But eventually, the duo turned the phantasm into solid logic.

Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2021 Southern lawmakers baselessly claimed Black men were lynched for raping White women -- a phantasm that still haunts Black men -- and asserted laws governing lynchings were best left to the states.

Eliott C. Mclaughlin, CNN, 27 May 2021 The album, produced by pop artisan Greg Kurstin (Adele, Paul McCartney), is a conceptual rumination on these apocalyptic times, from war to salvation with a sprinkle of biblical phantasm.

Steven J. Horowitz, EW.com, 15 Apr. 2021 That the nocturnal ritual fantasy is no fantasy, that every phantasm is a sign.

Talia Lavin, The New Republic, 29 Sep. 2020 Nor did this phantasm express itself solely in writing.

Ryan Ruby, The New York Review of Books, 8 Aug. 2020 His drawing shows an electric-blue phantasm on the wing, more like an angel or a pegasus than any earthly being.

J. B. Mackinnon, The Atlantic, 19 Mar. 2020 These phantasms could influence familiar particles in several ways, according to Johns Hopkins University theorist and MAGIS collaborator Surjeet Rajendran.

Charlie Wood, Scientific American, 18 Jan. 2020 Gottlieb’s story offers a fleeting glimpse into a world that is usually no more than a phantasm or a hideous dream.

BostonGlobe.com, 14 Sep. 2019 See More

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fantesme, fantosme, fantome, fantom "what has only a seeming reality or value, vanity, illusion, apparition, falsehood," borrowed from Anglo-French fantosme, fantasme, fantesme, fantame (continental Old French fantosme), borrowed from Latin phantasma "ghost, apparition" (Late Latin also, "mental image, figment, illusion"), borrowed from Greek phántasma "apparition, ghost, vision, dream, (in plural) phenomena, portents," derivative, with the noun suffix -mat-, -ma, corresponding to phantázein "to make visible, present to the eye or mind, (middle voice) place before one's mind, picture to oneself, imagine" — more at fantasy entry 1

Note: The Middle English word bifurcated into two phonetically distinct words in early Modern English, phantasm, which has mostly restored the form of the Latin etymon, and phantom entry 1, which more directly continues the Middle English original. According to a hypothesis in the Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, the -o- in the medieval French forms reflects *fantauma, from a presumed Ionian variant *phántagma of Greek phántasma that would have penetrated Gallo-Romance through contact with Greek speakers in Massilia (ancient Marseille). The -s- in fantosme, fantasme, etc., is an etymological restoration, as [s] would have been lost in such clusters in later medieval French.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

单词	phantasmic
释义	phantasm noun phan·tasm ˈfan-ˌta-zəm variants or less commonly fantasm 1 : a product of fantasy: such as a : delusive appearance : illusion b : ghost, specter c : a figment of the imagination 2 : a mental representation of a real object phantasmal fan-ˈtaz-məl adjective phantasmic fan-ˈtaz-mik adjective Did you know? Phantasm is from Middle English fantasme, a borrowing from Anglo-French fantasme, which itself is a derivative of Latin and Greek words—and ultimately the Greek verb phantazein, meaning "to present to the mind." The Greek verb took shape from phainein, meaning "to show," and this root appears in several English words that have to do with the way things seem or appear rather than the way they really are. Phantasmagoria and diaphanous are examples. Also from this root are words such as fanciful and fantasy, in which the imagination plays an important part. Synonyms chimera conceit daydream delusion dream fancy fantasy phantasy figment hallucination illusion nonentity pipe dream unreality vision See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences frightened by the phantasms of his own making believed that she'd seen the phantasm of her father on the anniversary of his death Recent Examples on the Web But eventually, the duo turned the phantasm into solid logic. Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2021 Southern lawmakers baselessly claimed Black men were lynched for raping White women -- a phantasm that still haunts Black men -- and asserted laws governing lynchings were best left to the states. Eliott C. Mclaughlin, CNN, 27 May 2021 The album, produced by pop artisan Greg Kurstin (Adele, Paul McCartney), is a conceptual rumination on these apocalyptic times, from war to salvation with a sprinkle of biblical phantasm. Steven J. Horowitz, EW.com, 15 Apr. 2021 That the nocturnal ritual fantasy is no fantasy, that every phantasm is a sign. Talia Lavin, The New Republic, 29 Sep. 2020 Nor did this phantasm express itself solely in writing. Ryan Ruby, The New York Review of Books, 8 Aug. 2020 His drawing shows an electric-blue phantasm on the wing, more like an angel or a pegasus than any earthly being. J. B. Mackinnon, The Atlantic, 19 Mar. 2020 These phantasms could influence familiar particles in several ways, according to Johns Hopkins University theorist and MAGIS collaborator Surjeet Rajendran. Charlie Wood, Scientific American, 18 Jan. 2020 Gottlieb’s story offers a fleeting glimpse into a world that is usually no more than a phantasm or a hideous dream. BostonGlobe.com, 14 Sep. 2019 See More Word History Etymology Middle English fantesme, fantosme, fantome, fantom "what has only a seeming reality or value, vanity, illusion, apparition, falsehood," borrowed from Anglo-French fantosme, fantasme, fantesme, fantame (continental Old French fantosme), borrowed from Latin phantasma "ghost, apparition" (Late Latin also, "mental image, figment, illusion"), borrowed from Greek phántasma "apparition, ghost, vision, dream, (in plural) phenomena, portents," derivative, with the noun suffix -mat-, -ma, corresponding to phantázein "to make visible, present to the eye or mind, (middle voice) place before one's mind, picture to oneself, imagine" — more at fantasy entry 1 Note: The Middle English word bifurcated into two phonetically distinct words in early Modern English, phantasm, which has mostly restored the form of the Latin etymon, and phantom entry 1, which more directly continues the Middle English original. According to a hypothesis in the Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, the -o- in the medieval French forms reflects fantauma, from a presumed Ionian variant phántagma of Greek phántasma that would have penetrated Gallo-Romance through contact with Greek speakers in Massilia (ancient Marseille). The -s- in fantosme, fantasme, etc., is an etymological restoration, as [s] would have been lost in such clusters in later medieval French. First Known Use 13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Medical Definition phantasm noun phan·tasm ˈfan-ˌtaz-əm 1 : a figment of the imagination or disordered mind 2 : an apparition of a living or dead person phantasmic adjective as in imaginary not real and existing only in the imagination had spent a restless night during which he was visited by a series of phantasmic figures Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance imaginary mythical fictitious mythic fictional fantasied imagined phantasmal phantom imaginal fantastical ideal chimerical unreal fanciful theoretical invented notional fantastic legendary visionary chimeric made-up make-believe fabulous pretend romantic hypothetical theoretic unlikely fabled abstract hallucinatory phantasmagoric illusory phantasmagorical delusive fictive unbelievable deceptive unconvincing visualized conceived delusional nonexistent envisioned pictured envisaged fabricated concocted daydreamlike feigned inexistent Antonyms & Near Antonyms actual real true existent existing genuine authentic factual physical realistic corporeal verifiable substantial convincing solid believable tangible material palpable verified See More
随便看	sampling shovel samplings sampogna Sampras samps Sampsaean Sampson fish Sampson fox Sampson snakeroot sampson's snakeroot sams samsara samsaras samshoos samshu samshus samsien samskara Samskrit samskrt Samson samson fox samson post samson snakeroot Samsonian

phantasm

noun

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Medical Definition

noun

adjective