ghoulish

the word 'ghoulish' is a relatively modern english formation, built upon the noun 'ghoul' which entered the language in the late 18th century. 'ghoul' itself originates from the arabic 'ghūl', a malevolent desert demon in pre-islamic folklore that was said to consume the dead. the suffix '-ish', of germanic origin, is a highly productive english morpheme used to form adjectives meaning "like" or "pertaining to." therefore, 'ghoulish' literally means "like a ghoul," its meaning evolving from the literal sense of corpse-eating to describing any macabre, morbid, or repulsively fascinated behavior associated with death and horror.

Structure: ghoul + ish - ghoul: from arabic غُول (ghūl), a demon or monster believed to rob graves and feed on corpses. functions as the core noun root. - ish: from old english -isc, an adjective-forming suffix meaning "having the character of" or "belonging to."