A ghost or spirit said to cause mysterious disturbances like moving objects, making noise, or breaking things without visible cause.
From German 'Poltergeist,' combining 'poltern' (to make noise) and 'Geist' (ghost or spirit). The term originated in German folklore and entered English through supernatural literature.
Poltergeists are fascinating because they appear in folklore across many cultures—the word is German, but nearly every culture has stories of 'noisy ghosts,' suggesting that humans everywhere have tried to explain mysterious phenomena (like falling objects, animal sounds, or house settling) by blaming supernatural spirits.
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