phasm means an apparition; a phantom. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
phasm is pronounced /ˈfæzəm/.
Why “phasm” is a great word
PHASM — [Noun] A spectral apparition or phantom; a visible but incorporeal manifestation. From Latin phasma or Ancient Greek φάσμα (phásma, "apparition, phantom"), from φαίνειν (phaínein, "to show, to bring to light"). Unlike a "specter," which implies a haunting, ominous presence, or an "illusion," which denotes a sensory deception, a phasm is the neutral, luminous fact of an appearance—the thing shown. It is the figure dissolving at the foot of the bed, the shimmer resolving from morning mist over a pond, or the beloved's face momentarily returned in a passing cloud; it is not what we fear, but the light by which we see our fear.
Etymology
From Latin phasma or Ancient Greek φάσμα (phásma). See phase.
noun
- An apparition; a phantom.“For heart is besides that from thence proceed many aerial fictions , and not from God, phasms, and chimeras , created by the vanity of our own hearts”