Definition

(Noun) A mischievous, tricksy imp or sprite; another name for Puck or Robin Goodfellow; hence, a terrifying apparition, a bogy.

In Context

“In the graveyard in 1815, someone reportedly saw a hobgoblin, an ugly, frightening little goblin or elf that harasses the living.”

Cheri Revai, Haunted New York: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Empire State, 2005.