October 31, 2009
- phantasm (noun)
- \FAN-taz-um\
- What does it mean?
- 1 : a misleading image or appearance : illusion2 : ghost : specter3 : a product of the imagination : fantasy
- How do you use it?
- After it got dark, Trina's imagination filled the spooky old house with phantasms.
- Are you a word wiz?
"Phantasm" goes back to the Greek word "phantazein," which means "to present to the mind." Read the definition we've given you again, and tell us which one of the following adjectives should NOT be used to describe a phantasm?
It's not just your imagination -- the real answer is D. Even though "physical" looks more like "phantasm" than any of the other three choices, it describes something that has a material existence and that doesn't depend on the imagination to make it seem real. The other words are correct in suggesting the insubstantial quality of a "phantasm." "Fanciful" not only describes a phantasm, it is also related to the word "phantasm," deriving from the same Greek root word, "phantazein." "Phantazein" is also the parent of "fantasy," making "fantasy" a relative of "phantasm" as well as a synonym.
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