Main Entry: phan·tasm

Variant(s): also fan·tasm \ˈfan-ˌta-zəm\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English fantasme, from Anglo-French fantosme, fantasme, from Latin phantasma, from Greek, from phantazein to present to the mind — more at fancy

Date: 13th century

1 : a product of fantasy: as a : delusive appearance : illusion b : ghost, specter c : a figment of the imagination
2 : a mental representation of a real object

— phan·tas·mal \fan-ˈtaz-məl\ adjective

— phan·tas·mic \-mik\ adjective