revenant
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A person who returns from the dead; a ghost or spirit: A "revenant" is specifically a being that has come back to life or returned to haunt the living.
- A person who returns after a long absence: This meaning refers to a living person who comes back to a place or community after being away for a significant period.
Adjective:
- Returning, especially from the dead or a long absence: Describes something or someone that comes back.
- Of, relating to, or characteristic of a revenant: Describes qualities typical of such a returning spirit or person.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- The villagers feared the old castle, believing it was haunted by a vengeful revenant.
- After twenty years abroad, he was a revenant in his hometown, unrecognizable to his old neighbors.
Adjective:
- The story featured a revenant spirit seeking justice.
- She was startled by a revenant shriek echoing through the empty halls.
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in Gothic and horror literature to denote a specific type of ghost, one that has a physical or tangible presence, unlike an insubstantial specter.
- It can be used metaphorically to describe ideas, styles, or trends that make a comeback:
Variants and Related Words
- Revenance (n., rare): The state or condition of being a revenant; the act of returning.
- Revenant is related to the French verb , meaning "to come back."
Synonyms
- Noun (ghost): ghost, specter, phantom, apparition, wraith.
- Noun (returner): returnee.
- Adjective: returning, recurring.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- While there are no common phrasal verbs with "revenant," the concept is central to idioms like "back from the dead," which can be used literally or figuratively.
Adjective
- coming back
- a revenant ghost
- of or relating to or typical of a revenant
- revenant shrieks and groans
Noun
- someone who has returned from the dead
- a person who returns after a lengthy absence