eldritch

[ el-drich ]

/ ˈɛl drɪtʃ /

adjective

eerie; weird; spooky.

Nearby words

eldr, eldred, eldredge, eldress, eldridge, eldritch, elea, eleanor, eleanor of aquitaine, eleanor of castile, eleanor of provence

Also el·drich; el·ritch

[el-rich] /ˈɛl rɪtʃ/.

Origin of eldritch

1500–10; earlier elrich, equivalent to Old English el- foreign, strange, uncanny (see else) + rīce kingdom (see rich); hence “of a strange country, pertaining to the Otherworld”; compare Old English ellende in a foreign land, exiled (cognate with German Elend penury, distress)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for eldritch

Jacky, with her eldritch voice, had attempted to sing Bessie Bell in her honor—and to leave it all!
Merkland|Mrs. Oliphant
And the wind burst upon us again, catching my empty denial and tossing the words to upper air with eldritch laughter.
Lords of the North|A. C. Laut
Berwin gave a kind of eldritch shriek and stepped back a pace, as though to place himself on his guard.
The Silent House|Fergus Hume
And the wizened little face, with its eldritch eyes and tangled hair, was withdrawn, and the door began to close.
Stories by American Authors, Volume 8|Various

Before they had gone far an eldritch shout of laughter was responded to by a burst of furious dismay and imprecation.
A Reputed Changeling|Charlotte M. Yonge

British Dictionary definitions for eldritch

eldritch

eldrich

/ (ˈɛldrɪtʃ) /

adjective

poetic, Scot unearthly; weird

Word Origin for eldritch

C16: perhaps from Old English ælf elf + rīce realm; see rich

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012