Wight (or Wraith)
In Old English, wiht meant any 'being' (e.g., Grendel as wiht unhaelo). By Middle English, wight narrowed to supernatural beings — ghosts, spirits, or the restless dead — and appears in Chaucer ('sweet wight') and Shakespeare. Modern fantasy 'undead wight' derives from Tolkien and D&D, not medieval folklore. English 'wraith' (Scots) denotes a death-omen apparition.