eldritch

English

WOTD – 15 March 2007

Alternative forms

• eldrich, elrich, elritch

Etymology

From the earlier form elritch, of uncertain origin. The second element, -ritch, is generally taken to be Old English rīċe (“realm, kingdom”) (see riche). Some think that the first element, el-, derives from an Old English root meaning "foreign, strange, other" (related to Old English ellende and modern English else); others think that it derives from elf. Reintroduced into popular literature by the writings of H. P. Lovecraft.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛl.dɹɪt͡ʃ/

• Audio (US)

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Adjective

eldritch (comparative more eldritch, superlative most eldritch)

1. Unearthly, supernatural, eerie, preternatural.
   • 1790, Robert Burns, Tam o' Shanter:

     So Maggie runs, the witches follow,
     Wi' mony an eldritch skriech and hollo.

   • 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, chapter VII, in The Scarlet Letter:

     Pearl, in utter scorn of her mother's attempt to quiet her, gave an eldritch scream, and then became silent.

   • 2011, James D. Hornfischer, “28: Into the Light”, in Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal‎^[1], New York: Bantam Books, →ISBN, retrieved 23 November 2022, page 276:

     The large vessel's dark form was massive, eldritch, as it loomed off the Cushing's port bow in the flash-lit darkness. This was the Hiei. The recognition of the battleship spread down the van, from the Cushing to the Laffey to the Sterett to the O'Bannon.