Macabre, obscure, and hauntingly beautiful words from both English and beyond—this collection reveals the origins, meanings, and stories behind words that chill, intrigue, and delight.From the abysmal and cadaverous to wraith and zombie, readers can discover over 300 of the most grisly, ghostly, and gruesome words ever to creep into the English language—and beyondEqually sinister terms from other languages include the Japanese
tsujigiri (a deadly crossroads killing) and the Dutch
bokkenrijders (ghostly goat-riding thieves), each with a story as dark as the words themselves.
This isn’t just a dictionary—it’s a journey into the hidden history and dark etymology of language, exploring how meanings have twisted, evolved, and haunted the human imagination through the agesLiterary and poetic excerpts bring these chilling terms to life, revealing the enduring allure of the macabre across literature, cinema, and pop culture.
These words don’t just unsettle—they challenge conventions, wrestle with moral ambiguity, and echo the fears, taboos, and dark curiosities of cultures throughout historyPerfect for language lovers, dark-academia enthusiasts, and anyone fascinated by the eerie and unusual, this is a dreadful dictionary with a difference, designed to entertain, educate, and unnerve in equal measure.
| Format |
Inbunden |
| Omfång |
320 sidor |
| Språk |
Engelska |
| Förlag |
Rizzoli International Publications |
| Utgivningsdatum |
2026-09-08 |
| ISBN |
9780789346728 |
