A
ghost word is a word published in a
dictionary or similarly authoritative
reference work, having rarely, if ever, been used in practice, and hitherto having been meaningless (for example "kime" or "" (compare "
bycoket")). As a rule a ghost word will have originated from an error, such as a misinterpretation, mispronunciation, misreading, or from
typographical or
linguistic confusion.