thumb|"Amine Discovered with the Goule", from the story of Sidi Nouman in the [[One Thousand and One Nights]]
In folklore, a ghoul (from , ') is a demon-like being or monstrous humanoid, often associated with graveyards and the consumption of human flesh. The concept of the ghoul originated in pre-Islamic Arabian religion. Modern fiction often uses the term to label a specific kind of monster.
By extension, the word "ghoul" is also used in a derogatory sense to refer to a person who delights in the macabre or whose occupation directly involves death, such as a gravedigger or graverobber.
Etymology
The English word ghoul is from the Arabic (), from () .