Main Entry: spec·ter

Variant(s): or spec·tre \ˈspek-tər\

Function: noun

Etymology: French spectre, from Latin spectrum appearance, specter, from specere to look, look at — more at spy

Date: 1605

1 : a visible disembodied spirit : ghost
2 : something that haunts or perturbs the mind : phantasm <the specter of hunger>