A ghost — but a particular, colder kind of ghost, and the word is literary rather than everyday. In its oldest Scottish use, a wraith was the shape of a living person seen when that person was somewhere else, and seeing one meant they were about to die. That warning feeling still clings to the word.

A ghost鬼魂——but a particular, colder kind of ghost但是特別、比較冷的一種鬼，and the word is literary rather than everyday而且這個字偏文學，不是日常用語。In its oldest Scottish use在它最古老的蘇格蘭用法裡，a wraith was the shape of a living person seen when that person was somewhere elsewraith是指看見一個活人的影子，而那個人其實人在別處，and seeing one meant they were about to die看見這種影子代表那個人快要死了。That warning feeling still clings to the word這種預兆般的感覺至今還留在這個字上。

In modern writing a wraith is usually a thin, pale, drifting spirit, and writers reach for it when they want something more frightening and less homely than "ghost." It is common in fantasy stories and games, where wraiths are undead things that float and drain life.

In modern writing在現代文學裡 a wraith is usually a thin, pale, drifting spiritwraith通常是一種瘦弱、蒼白、飄動的靈，and writers reach for it when they want something more frightening and less homely than "ghost"作家想要一種比「ghost」更嚇人、更不家常的東西時就會用這個字。It is common in fantasy stories and games它常見於奇幻故事和遊戲裡，where wraiths are undead things that float and drain life那裡的wraith是會飄浮、會吸走生命的不死生物。

There is a second, gentler use: you can call a very thin, pale person a wraith, or say someone is "like a wraith," and you can use it for something faint and drifting in the air — a wraith of smoke, a wraith of mist. The adjective is wraithlike.

There is a second, gentler use還有第二種比較溫和的用法：you can call a very thin, pale person a wraith你可以叫一個很瘦、很蒼白的人wraith，or say someone is "like a wraith,"或說某人「like a wraith像個wraith」，and you can use it for something faint and drifting in the air也可以用來形容空氣中若隱若現、飄動的東西——a wraith of smoke一縷煙，a wraith of mist一縷霧。The adjective is wraithlike形容詞是wraithlike。

You would not use this word in conversation about a haunted house; you would say ghost. Save wraith for writing, or for when you want the room to feel colder.

You would not use this word in conversation about a haunted house講鬼屋的時候你不會用這個字；you would say ghost你會說ghost。Save wraith for writing把wraith留給書面用，or for when you want the room to feel colder或是你想讓那個房間感覺更陰冷的時候。