An old saying from the southern US. Meaning ghost or spirit. Thought to have originated from the Gulla language, but the true origins are lost to time. Possibly a variation of haunt. The word has remained in the popular vernacular of the South as the color, haint blue. Haint blue, which consist of various shades of light greenish blue, was and still is, used to paint porch ceilings, doors and window frames to confuse the spirits preventing them from getting inside. As legend has it, spirits cant cross water, so the blue confuses them. In modern times, the blue is said to prevent mosquitoes from getting in. To this day, it is still popular to use haint blue, for practical and cultural reasons. The haint tradition is closely related to southern folk phenomena of the witches bottle and bottle trees, using blue glass bottles. Another use of the word haint was popularized in the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird", being used by the main character to describe pockets of cold air that are felt during warm weather. The pockets are said to be haints.
