First, I want to say that I know what a haint is .....but I am wondering how many other folks know 
I thought of this question when someone commented on my previous blog that the dead of night is when the ghosts and ghoulies come out......
which made me think about ghosts which made me think of the word haint.
You may have guessed by now that haint is another word for ghost.
It seems to be a mostly southern and possibly mostly African American word.
I came across it in some folktales and my grandmother used to use the word every now and then.
My aunt who is in here early 70's uses it occassionally.
Anyhoo, I'm just wondering if the word haint is fairly well known and if so who knows and uses it.
Thanks!
Love, Laughter, Peace and Blessings y'all!
MsLani
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| Do you know what a Haint is???? |
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EquuisdancerDbndon
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May 8 @ 11:40PM
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 Oh my goodness La...I thought you made a typo..  ....but I'll hit you up with that in PM...LOL
We just had a :haint" experience at my house...yup another story...
LOL..Are we up late and at the same time???? Scary HUH??? Might be the full moon tonight???
~*~
Dancer
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gunn12fan
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May 9 @ 12:01AM
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LOL it's like asking if them are ducks em are not em are to see tham wangs lol ill never get it 
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EquuisdancerDbndon
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May 9 @ 12:01AM
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ahen . . . I went to look cause I like regional colloquialisms.
"Chiefly Southern U.S. var of haunt, originally, but the meaning has since morphed to mean more than a ghost. It can also mean a scary bitch or mean person, usually a woman."
The word us useful, ma'ladty. But, why would you want to use it?
Like "farding," it is a real word. 
And never mind all that stuff for a storyteller, tell us friends about the events in your life. Who's the storyteller who can't do that?
Details, girlfriend -- Dancer says. She want all the details.
~DbnDon
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whatagal
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May 9 @ 12:22AM
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I've heard the word but never knew what it meant. My favorite thing about your blog is there is always a lesson in them.
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whatagal
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May 9 @ 12:23AM
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Pssssssst...you haven't answered my email!! HINT, HINT!!
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BandTMom
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May 9 @ 12:36AM
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I know what it is and yes, I've had experiences. 
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Herodotus
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May 9 @ 1:40AM
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No it haint!
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misschoos
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May 9 @ 2:01AM
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Nope and I can't see any logic in it 
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dixiepixie
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May 9 @ 7:04AM
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Having lived mostly in southern states,I know exactly what the word is and what it means though I haven't seen the word in a long, long time.
As a youngster growing up I heard others, mostly from my grandmother's generation, use it.
Though it was not in common usage after I came along my mother occasionally used it because she had heard it as a child and that's how I learned what it meant.
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Jacksonboy
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May 9 @ 7:21AM
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Being a Ms boy I have heard the word used many times and as you say mostly by African Americans. I have never heard it used to describe a living person as per the definition only to describe spirits and usually said spirit is up to no good. 
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leprichaun_magic
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May 9 @ 7:51AM
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oh .. isnt it ,, slang for !"havent ..in "Cockney [see Herod and Schoos!!!..just saying ..lol..a ghost is a more exciting meaning though..:) 
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texasblues
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May 9 @ 8:20AM
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As a child in Mississippi in the 50s I heard it use pretty often. Mainly older folks telling stories. Our farm was at the foot of the Tippah Hills where from the stories (at the time we had no tv so after supper there woould often be story telling going on) haints roam at night and you didn't want to get caught in certain parts of the woods after sundown. 
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lovestobake
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May 9 @ 9:57AM
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I haint sure.
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SpiritOrnery
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May 9 @ 12:22PM
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Yeppers. Suth'n word meaning ghost, spook. Haunting entity.
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texasblues
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May 9 @ 2:47PM
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The song "Haunted House" by Jumpin' Gene Simmons has the line in it "ain't no haint gon't to run me off" If I could still get on youtube I would try to find it and post here. Maybe someone else can find it.
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texasblues
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May 9 @ 3:04PM
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Well I can't post he song but here or the lyrics
HAUNTED HOUSE
(R. Geddins)
JUMPIN' GENE SIMMONS
I just moved in my new house today
Moving was hard but I got squared away
Bells started ringing and chains rattle loud
I knew I'd moved in a haunted house
Still I made up a-my mind to stay
Nothing was gonna drive me away
When I seen something that give me the creeps
Had one big eye and two big feet
I stood right still and I did the freeze
He did the stroll right up to me
Made a noise with his feet that sound like a drum
Said you be here when the morning come
Say yes I'll be here when the morning come
I'll be right here and I ain't gonna run
I bought this house, now you know I'm boss
There ain't no haint gonna run me off
In my kitchen my stove was a blazing hot
The coffee was boiling in the pot
The grease had melted in the pan
I had a hunk of meat in my hand
From out of space there sat a man
On the hot stove with the pots and pans
I said that's hot, I began to shout
He drank a hot coffe right from the spout
He ate the raw meat right from my hand
Drank the hot grease from the frying pan
He said to me, now you better run
And don't be here when the morning come
Say yes I'll be here when the morning come
I'll be right here and I ain't gonna run
I bought this house, now you know I'm boss
There ain't no haint gonna run me off
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kywonder
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May 9 @ 7:37PM
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Here in central Ky, we use the word all the time. But we use it when someone is really ugly. We say they are ugly as a haint.
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MsLani
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May 9 @ 9:49PM
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WOW!!! 
Lots of fabulous responses
It's interesting to see who has heard of haints and where they live,
Also age definitely seems to be a factor.
I feel like I'm conducting some kind of sociolinguistic study
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