phantasm

noun

phan·​tasm ˈfan-ˌta-zəm How to pronounce phantasm (audio)
variants or less commonly fantasm
Synonyms of phantasmnext
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 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.

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of phantasm in a Sentence

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But is the gender phantasm as crucial to the global far right as Butler claims? —Katha Pollitt, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024 Likewise, Poe’s devilish ambiguity, his production of phantasms both real and imagined, undergirds James’s own ventures into the genre. —Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 11 Oct. 2023 Those are all real things, not the phantasms of a junk-food loving fourth-grader’s fever dreams. —Emily Heil, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2023 And sometimes the phantasms of artificial intelligence can prompt, in the prompter, genuine emotion. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for phantasm 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of phantasm was in the 13th century

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Dictionary Entries Near phantasm

Phantasiast

phantasm

phantasma

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Phantasm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phantasm. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

phantasm

noun
phan·​tasm ˈfan-ˌtaz-əm How to pronounce phantasm (audio)
1
: a misleading image or appearance (as a mirage) : illusion
2
: ghost, specter
3
: a product of the imagination : fantasy
phantasmal
fan-ˈtaz-məl How to pronounce phantasm (audio)
adjective

Medical Definition

phantasm

noun
phan·​tasm ˈfan-ˌtaz-əm How to pronounce phantasm (audio)
1
: a figment of the imagination or disordered mind
2
: an apparition of a living or dead person
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