poltergeist
\ POHL-ter-gahyst \, noun;
1.a ghost or spirit supposed to manifest its presence by noises, knockings, etc.
Quotes:
"Do you know what a poltergeist is, Mr Arkwright?" Mr Arkwright allows a scornful interval to pass, while he slowly mops the counter. His silence does not connote hesitation. "Yes, sir."
-- Iris Murdoch, "The Sea, The Sea," 1978
I didn't want to foresee death or slide backwards in time or even do something so mundane as trigger poltergeist activity.
-- Susan Howatch, "The Wonder Worker," 1997
Origin:
Poltergeist comes directly from the German word of the same spelling which entered English in the 1850s. The term comes from the German word polter meaning "to make noise, knock, rattle" and Geist meaning "ghost."
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