1801, "spectre, apparition, ghost," from Dutch spook, from Middle Dutch spooc "spook, ghost," from a common Germanic source (German Spuk "ghost, apparition," Middle Low German spok "spook," Swedish spok "scarecrow," Norwegian spjok "ghost, specter," Danish spøg "joke"), of unknown origin. According to Klein's sources, possible outside connections include Lettish spigana "dragon, witch," spiganis "will o' the wisp," Lithuanian spingu, spingeti "to shine," Old Prussian spanksti "spark."
Meaning "undercover agent" is attested from 1942. The derogatory racial sense of "black person" is attested from 1940s, perhaps from notion of dark skin being difficult to see at night. Black pilots trained at Tuskegee Institute during World War II called themselves the Spookwaffe.
spook (v.)
1867, "to walk or act like a ghost," from spook (n.). Meaning "to unnerve" is from 1935. Related: Spooked; spooking.
雙語例句
1. At night, he would creep out of the house like a spook.
夜間, 他常常像幽靈一般地從家裏偷偷地出來.
來自辭典例句
2. I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe.
我不是纏磨著埃德加·愛倫·坡的那種幽靈.
來自辭典例句
3. Refrigerators . I killed that poor spook over hot refrigerators?
冰箱為了他媽的冰箱逼我殺了那鬼?
來自電影對白
4. Don't let the repoter spook you, and you have to behave urbanely.
別讓記者纏住你, 而你還得舉止文雅.
來自互聯網
5. Something furry grazed Spook's calf as It'shot between his legs.