Link Centre Dictionary

wisp

UK/wɪsp/ US/ˈwɪsp/ rare archaic obsolete uk

noun

1.

a small tuft or lock

  • “wisps of hair”
2.

a small person

  • “a mere wisp of a girl”
3.

a small bundle of straw or hay

4.

a flock of snipe

Origin

From Middle English wispe, wyspe, wips, wipse, perhaps from an unrecorded Old English *wisp, *wips. Cognate with West Frisian wisp, Dutch wisp (“bundle of hay or straw”), Norwegian bokmål/Swedish/Bornholm Danish visp (“handful or bundle of grass, hay, etc.”). Akin also to Middle Dutch/Middle Low German wispel (“measure of grain”).

Phrases

  • will o' the wisp

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.