will-o'-the-wispn.

Brit.

/ˌwɪləðəˈwɪsp/, U.S.

/ˌwɪləðəˈwɪsp/

Inflections: Plural will-o'-the-wisps, wills-o'-the-wisp.

Forms:

α. 1500s–1600s will-with-the-wispe, 1600s will-the-wispe, 1600s will-with-a-wisp, 1600s will-with-th'-wisp, 1600s will-with-wispe, 1700s–1800s will-with-a-whisp, 1800s will-wit-wisp, 1800s will-wi'-t'-wisp, 1800s–1900s will-with-the-wisp.

β. 1600s– will-of-the-wisp, 1600s– will-o'-the-wisp, 1700s– will-o'-th'-wisp, 1800s– will-o-the-wisp.

γ. 1600s willy-wispe, 1600s– willy-wisp, 1700s willie-with-the-wisp, 1700s willy-and-the-wisp, 1700s willy's-wisp, 1700s willy-wi'-the-wisp, 1800s willerby-wisp, 1800s willy-wit-wisp.

δ. 1600s will-a-wisp, 1600s will-e-wisp, 1700s will-o'-whisp, 1700s will-o'wisp, 1800s– will-o-wisp, 1800s– will-o'-wisp.

ε. 1600s will-i'th'-wisp, 1600s–1800s will-in-the-wisp, 1700s will-i'the-whisp.

Also without hyphens, and with capital initial in the first or last element, or in both.

Origin: From a proper name, combined with English elements. Etymons: proper name Will , with prep., the adj., wisp n.¹

Etymology: Originally (in α. forms) < Will, pet form of the male forename William (see William n.) + with prep. + the adj. + wisp n.¹, subsequently showing numerous substitutions of other words (especially, in β. forms, of prep.), if indeed one of these was not the original form (all of the main form types are first attested relatively early). Compare later Jack-o'-lantern n., in which the semantic motivation for the final element is clearer; wisp n.¹ probably likewise reflects the supposed origin of the light (compare wisp n.¹ 3a); compare similarly German Irrwisch , in the same sense (16th cent.; < irren to wander + Wisch : see whisk n.¹).In γ. forms showing Willie, Willy, diminutive pet form of the male forename William ; compare -y suffix⁶. In δ. forms showing reduction of of prep. In ε. forms with substitution of in prep. for with prep.

a. A phosphorescent light seen hovering or floating at night over marshy ground; = ignis fatuus n. Also in figurative contexts (cf. sense 1b).On the phenomenon and its history, and possible explanations, see note at ignis fatuus n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > light > light emitted under particular conditions > [noun] > phosphorescence > will-o'-the-wisp

fox-fire1483

foolish fire1563

ignis fatuus1563

fool's fire1583

Kit with the canstick or candlestick1584

going fire1596

will-o'-the-wisp1596

meteor1597

firedrake1607

wisp1618

ambulones1621

Dick-a-Tuesday1636

friar's lantern1645

gillian burnt-tail1654

Jill-burnt-tail1654

Jack-o'-lantern1658

fatuous fire1661

wildfire1663

wandering fire or light1667

Jack-a-Lent1680

fairy light1722

spunkie1727

Jill-o'-the-wisp1750

fen-fire1814

fatuus1820

marsh-light1823

feu follet1832

wisp-lighta1847

hob-lantern1847

ghost light1849

elf-fire1855

Peggy-with-her-lantern1855

fatuous light1857–8

marsh-fire1865

swamp fire1903

Min-Min1950

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > optical illusion > [noun] > an optical illusion > ignis fatuus

foolish fire1563

ignis fatuus1563

fool's fire1583

will-o'-the-wisp1596

night-fire1633

Dick-a-Tuesday1636

fatuous vapour1661

fatuus1668

draco volans1675

spunkie1727

fen-fire1814

fatuous fire1845

fatuous light1857–8

α.

1596 R. Johnson Famous Hist. Seauen Champions vii. 68 Hee had read..of a going fire called Ignis fatuis, the fire of destenie, or [by] some Will with the wispe.

1608 J. Day Law-trickes sig. H2^v I haue playd Will with the wispe with my brother and haue led him vp and downe the maze of good fellowship.

1730 Philos. Trans. 1729–30 (Royal Soc.) 36 211 Thus far, what I could learn concerning the Will with a Whisp, as it hath been observed in the Plains.

1909 C. M. Doughty Cliffs i. 22 Each will-with-the-wisp, that hovers from their mist,..This soul-blind people follow like a flock.

β. 1606 T. Heywood 2nd Pt. If you know not Me sig. F3^v What voyce is that? art thou a man, or friend? Tell me if thou beest that Will of the wispe, That leadst me this wild Morice.1761 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy III. xxxi. 146 All the polemical writings in divinity, are not as clear and demonstrative as those upon a Will o' the Wisp, or any other sound part of philosophy.1840 W. M. Thackeray Paris Sketch Bk. II. 84 No light except that of..the wicked..wills-o'-the wisp, as they gambol among the marshes.1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop ii. l. 78 I'll be a Will o' the Wisp, now here, now there.1858 W. Greener Gunnery in 1858 208 Proof positive, that we have been on the wrong scent, and running after a ‘Will o' the Wisp.’2006 Chesapeake Life Nov. 132/1 One night, a state trooper named Robert Burkhardt saw a ball of light near route 50—one mile outside of town...Word spread so fast about the mysterious will-'o-the-wisp that twenty carloads of townsfolk joined them out on Church Road.γ. 1628 Robin Good-Fellow, his Mad Prankes ii. sig. C3 Wenches that doe smile, and lispe Vse to call me willy Wispe.1756 Coll. Sc. Poems Several Occasions 23 Travelling of late in fogs and thro' thick mist, Without a guide, save Willy wi' the wisp.?1760 S. Haliburton Mem. Magopico xiii. 40 Plumbino is Willie-with-the-Wisp; Magopico a Flash of Wild-fire.1790 D. Morison Poems 38 Willy's wisp wi' whirlin' cant Their blazes ca', That's nought but vapours frae a stank.1913 C. Smith Manger ii. 38 As we came home I saw a willy-wisp. 'Twas somethink like this glow, and yet 'twas not.δ. 1657 W. Sprigg Ess. with Brief Adviso's 37 If fortune be-friend him in a dark night with vulcan in a lanthorne, he relates wonders, how he hath been led about pools by Will-a-Wisp, or Robin good-fellow.1681 J. Oldham Satyrs upon Jesuits 55 White Sheets for Ghosts, and Will-a-wisps have past For Souls in Purgatory unreleast.1738 E. Montagu Let. 17 Dec. (1809) I. 44 Will-o'wisp never led the bewildered traveller over hedge and ditch as a moon does us country gentlefolks.2013 Nation (Thailand) (Nexis) 28 Aug. We randomly darted over winding roads like an orange will-o'-wisp, heedless of physics.ε. 1664 G. Havers tr. T. Renaudot et al. Gen. Coll. Disc. Virtuosi France xcix. 572 This kind of light has been seen upon the heads of children, whose moister brain exhal'd a vapour proper for it; such also as that is which forms the Will-i'th'-Wisp, which may also proceed from the reflection of the Star-light from the Sea.1706 J. Vanbrugh Mistake (1734) i. 16 What a Shame they should be allow'd to play Will in the Wisp with Men of Honour.1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued II. i. 132 We should see them dance about like so many Will i'the whisps.

b. figurative. A thing which (or occasionally a person who) deludes or misleads a person by means of erratic but seemingly encouraging appearances. Also: something that is difficult or impossible to catch or track down.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > deception by illusion, delusion > [noun] > an instance of, illusion > elusive

wisp1618

will-o'-the-wisp1748

Jack-o'-lantern1775

1622 ‘Jack Dawe’ Vox Graculi 45 When you are mis-led with lust (that Will-with-wispe).

1679 Bp. J. Gordon Reformed Bishop 250 I do firmly believe, That..He would have chosen rather to have sent down some English Doctors to have govern'd us..than have permitted any of those Willy-wisps to jump into these empty Chairs.

1748 S. Richardson Clarissa V. iii. 53 Knowlege by theory only is a vague uncertain light: A Will o' the Wisp.

1807 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life II. xvii. 119 Those Wills-o-the-wisp, the Reviewers.

1881 T. H. Huxley Sci. & Culture 247 The metaphysical Will-o'-the-wisps generated in the marshes of literature and theology.

1918 W. R. Inge Philos. Plotinus I. 188 The utterly unscientific notion of an automatic ‘law of progress’, that strange Will-o'-the-wisp of nineteenth-century thought.

2002 F. Close et al. Particle Odyssey ii. 17 The precise path of any individual electron around a nucleus can never be known—the more we try to pin it down, the more it eludes us, like a subatomic will-o'-the-wisp.

2. As a mass noun. The gelatinous colonies of cyanobacteria of the genus Nostoc, which become visible shortly after a period of rain. Also: a cyanobacterium of this genus. Now historical and rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > algae > [noun] > nostoc

star slime1440

slime1471

nostoc?1609

star shot1653

star1666

star jelly1702

shot star1811

witches' meat1849

will-o'-the-wisp1863

witches' butter1922

1863 R. C. A. Prior On Pop. Names Brit. Plants 240 Will o' the Wisp, from its sudden growth by night as if dropped by some phantom, Tremella Nostoc, L.

2016 O. L. Lange & J. Belnap in B. Weber et al. Biol. Soil Crusts ii. 21 Common English names show the anxiety of people about these strange Nostoc colonies on soil, calling them fairies' or witches' butter, star-slime, star jelly, fallen stars, or will-o'-the-wisp.

Compounds

As a modifier.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > deception by illusion, delusion > [adjective]

lyinga1225

deceptoryc1430

mockinga1529

sleight1533

prestigious?1534

illudinga1547

fallible1552

delusory1588

prestigiatory1588

illusory1599

delusive1607

deceptiousa1616

deludinga1616

flatteringa1616

delusorious1625

fallacious1626

ludificatorya1677

illusive1679

will-o'-the-wisp1682

prestigiating1716

shama1721

false1768

deceptitious1827

deceptional1830

phantasm1834

will-o'-the-wispish1842

will-o'-the-wispy1857

illusionistic1911

illusional1942

1682 ‘Rose Ally Poet’ Epitaph in ‘T. Younkercrape’ Serm. Renowned Observator sig. E2 The' Inferiour-Clergy (poor Noddies!) will stray, Now their Will-a-Wisp-Guide is gone out of the Way.

1873 All Year Round 5 July 226/1 Strange will-o'-the-wisp lights begin to flutter about the cordage.

1883 W. Black Shandon Bells xxi Kitty's will-o'-the-wisp flashes of petulance.

2012 Talk of Town (Nexis) 20 Sept. She comes across an ominous stone circle and then follows a will-o'-wisp trail to a strange, earth-mound house.

Derivatives

ˌwill-o'-the-ˈwispish adj. of the nature of a will-o'-the-wisp.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > optical illusion > [adjective] > ignis fatuus

will-o'-the-wispish1842

will-o'-the-wispy1857

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > deception by illusion, delusion > [adjective]

lyinga1225

deceptoryc1430

mockinga1529

sleight1533

prestigious?1534

illudinga1547

fallible1552

delusory1588

prestigiatory1588

illusory1599

delusive1607

deceptiousa1616

deludinga1616

flatteringa1616

delusorious1625

fallacious1626

ludificatorya1677

illusive1679

will-o'-the-wisp1682

prestigiating1716

shama1721

false1768

deceptitious1827

deceptional1830

phantasm1834

will-o'-the-wispish1842

will-o'-the-wispy1857

illusionistic1911

illusional1942

1842 Satirist 26 June 206/3 A rambling, multifarious, will-o'-the-wispish sort of piece, and, with all its lightness, having a proportion of the heavy about it.

1873 E. Bulwer-Lytton Kenelm Chillingly I. ii. ii. 146 The boy..became impish and Will-of-the-Wisp-ish.

2018 Independent (Nexis) 19 Oct. 42 The north is a mercurial territory, and northernness itself a will-o'-the-wispish thing that's hard to pin down.

ˌwill-o'-the-ˈwispy adj. = will-o'-the-wispish adj.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > optical illusion > [adjective] > ignis fatuus

will-o'-the-wispish1842

will-o'-the-wispy1857

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > deception by illusion, delusion > [adjective]

lyinga1225

deceptoryc1430

mockinga1529

sleight1533

prestigious?1534

illudinga1547

fallible1552

delusory1588

prestigiatory1588

illusory1599

delusive1607

deceptiousa1616

deludinga1616

flatteringa1616

delusorious1625

fallacious1626

ludificatorya1677

illusive1679

will-o'-the-wisp1682

prestigiating1716

shama1721

false1768

deceptitious1827

deceptional1830

phantasm1834

will-o'-the-wispish1842

will-o'-the-wispy1857

illusionistic1911

illusional1942

1857 Graham's Illustr. Mag. Aug. 179/1 Most of her flashes are of a snapping, zig-zag, Will-o'-the-wispy nature.

1886 R. Broughton Dr. Cupid xxxi The Will-of-the-wispy laughter of his eyes.

2011 New Straits Times (Malaysia) (Nexis) 13 Mar. 21 It is not just here that this woolly-minded will-o'-the-wispy mode of thought is taking hold.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	will-o-the-wisp
释义	will-o'-the-wispn. Brit. /ˌwɪləðəˈwɪsp/, U.S. /ˌwɪləðəˈwɪsp/ Inflections: Plural will-o'-the-wisps, wills-o'-the-wisp. Forms: α. 1500s–1600s will-with-the-wispe, 1600s will-the-wispe, 1600s will-with-a-wisp, 1600s will-with-th'-wisp, 1600s will-with-wispe, 1700s–1800s will-with-a-whisp, 1800s will-wit-wisp, 1800s will-wi'-t'-wisp, 1800s–1900s will-with-the-wisp. β. 1600s– will-of-the-wisp, 1600s– will-o'-the-wisp, 1700s– will-o'-th'-wisp, 1800s– will-o-the-wisp. γ. 1600s willy-wispe, 1600s– willy-wisp, 1700s willie-with-the-wisp, 1700s willy-and-the-wisp, 1700s willy's-wisp, 1700s willy-wi'-the-wisp, 1800s willerby-wisp, 1800s willy-wit-wisp. δ. 1600s will-a-wisp, 1600s will-e-wisp, 1700s will-o'-whisp, 1700s will-o'wisp, 1800s– will-o-wisp, 1800s– will-o'-wisp. ε. 1600s will-i'th'-wisp, 1600s–1800s will-in-the-wisp, 1700s will-i'the-whisp. Also without hyphens, and with capital initial in the first or last element, or in both. Origin: From a proper name, combined with English elements. Etymons: proper name Will , with prep., the adj., wisp n.¹ Etymology: Originally (in α. forms) < Will, pet form of the male forename William (see William n.) + with prep. + the adj. + wisp n.¹, subsequently showing numerous substitutions of other words (especially, in β. forms, of prep.), if indeed one of these was not the original form (all of the main form types are first attested relatively early). Compare later Jack-o'-lantern n., in which the semantic motivation for the final element is clearer; wisp n.¹ probably likewise reflects the supposed origin of the light (compare wisp n.¹ 3a); compare similarly German Irrwisch , in the same sense (16th cent.; < irren to wander + Wisch : see whisk n.¹).In γ. forms showing Willie, Willy, diminutive pet form of the male forename William ; compare -y suffix⁶. In δ. forms showing reduction of of prep. In ε. forms with substitution of in prep. for with prep. 1. a. A phosphorescent light seen hovering or floating at night over marshy ground; = ignis fatuus n. Also in figurative contexts (cf. sense 1b).On the phenomenon and its history, and possible explanations, see note at ignis fatuus n. 1. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > light > light emitted under particular conditions > [noun] > phosphorescence > will-o'-the-wisp fox-fire1483 foolish fire1563 ignis fatuus1563 fool's fire1583 Kit with the canstick or candlestick1584 going fire1596 will-o'-the-wisp1596 meteor1597 firedrake1607 wisp1618 ambulones1621 Dick-a-Tuesday1636 friar's lantern1645 gillian burnt-tail1654 Jill-burnt-tail1654 Jack-o'-lantern1658 fatuous fire1661 wildfire1663 wandering fire or light1667 Jack-a-Lent1680 fairy light1722 spunkie1727 Jill-o'-the-wisp1750 fen-fire1814 fatuus1820 marsh-light1823 feu follet1832 wisp-lighta1847 hob-lantern1847 ghost light1849 elf-fire1855 Peggy-with-her-lantern1855 fatuous light1857–8 marsh-fire1865 swamp fire1903 Min-Min1950 the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > optical illusion > [noun] > an optical illusion > ignis fatuus foolish fire1563 ignis fatuus1563 fool's fire1583 will-o'-the-wisp1596 night-fire1633 Dick-a-Tuesday1636 fatuous vapour1661 fatuus1668 draco volans1675 spunkie1727 fen-fire1814 fatuous fire1845 fatuous light1857–8 α. 1596 R. Johnson Famous Hist. Seauen Champions vii. 68 Hee had read..of a going fire called Ignis fatuis, the fire of destenie, or [by] some Will with the wispe. 1608 J. Day Law-trickes sig. H2^v I haue playd Will with the wispe with my brother and haue led him vp and downe the maze of good fellowship. 1730 Philos. Trans. 1729–30 (Royal Soc.) 36 211 Thus far, what I could learn concerning the Will with a Whisp, as it hath been observed in the Plains. 1909 C. M. Doughty Cliffs i. 22 Each will-with-the-wisp, that hovers from their mist,..This soul-blind people follow like a flock. β. 1606 T. Heywood 2nd Pt. If you know not Me sig. F3^v What voyce is that? art thou a man, or friend? Tell me if thou beest that Will of the wispe, That leadst me this wild Morice.1761 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy III. xxxi. 146 All the polemical writings in divinity, are not as clear and demonstrative as those upon a Will o' the Wisp, or any other sound part of philosophy.1840 W. M. Thackeray Paris Sketch Bk. II. 84 No light except that of..the wicked..wills-o'-the wisp, as they gambol among the marshes.1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop ii. l. 78 I'll be a Will o' the Wisp, now here, now there.1858 W. Greener Gunnery in 1858 208 Proof positive, that we have been on the wrong scent, and running after a ‘Will o' the Wisp.’2006 Chesapeake Life Nov. 132/1 One night, a state trooper named Robert Burkhardt saw a ball of light near route 50—one mile outside of town...Word spread so fast about the mysterious will-'o-the-wisp that twenty carloads of townsfolk joined them out on Church Road.γ. 1628 Robin Good-Fellow, his Mad Prankes ii. sig. C3 Wenches that doe smile, and lispe Vse to call me willy Wispe.1756 Coll. Sc. Poems Several Occasions 23 Travelling of late in fogs and thro' thick mist, Without a guide, save Willy wi' the wisp.?1760 S. Haliburton Mem. Magopico xiii. 40 Plumbino is Willie-with-the-Wisp; Magopico a Flash of Wild-fire.1790 D. Morison Poems 38 Willy's wisp wi' whirlin' cant Their blazes ca', That's nought but vapours frae a stank.1913 C. Smith Manger ii. 38 As we came home I saw a willy-wisp. 'Twas somethink like this glow, and yet 'twas not.δ. 1657 W. Sprigg Ess. with Brief Adviso's 37 If fortune be-friend him in a dark night with vulcan in a lanthorne, he relates wonders, how he hath been led about pools by Will-a-Wisp, or Robin good-fellow.1681 J. Oldham Satyrs upon Jesuits 55 White Sheets for Ghosts, and Will-a-wisps have past For Souls in Purgatory unreleast.1738 E. Montagu Let. 17 Dec. (1809) I. 44 Will-o'wisp never led the bewildered traveller over hedge and ditch as a moon does us country gentlefolks.2013 Nation (Thailand) (Nexis) 28 Aug. We randomly darted over winding roads like an orange will-o'-wisp, heedless of physics.ε. 1664 G. Havers tr. T. Renaudot et al. Gen. Coll. Disc. Virtuosi France xcix. 572 This kind of light has been seen upon the heads of children, whose moister brain exhal'd a vapour proper for it; such also as that is which forms the Will-i'th'-Wisp, which may also proceed from the reflection of the Star-light from the Sea.1706 J. Vanbrugh Mistake (1734) i. 16 What a Shame they should be allow'd to play Will in the Wisp with Men of Honour.1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued II. i. 132 We should see them dance about like so many Will i'the whisps. b. figurative. A thing which (or occasionally a person who) deludes or misleads a person by means of erratic but seemingly encouraging appearances. Also: something that is difficult or impossible to catch or track down. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > deception by illusion, delusion > [noun] > an instance of, illusion > elusive wisp1618 will-o'-the-wisp1748 Jack-o'-lantern1775 1622 ‘Jack Dawe’ Vox Graculi 45 When you are mis-led with lust (that Will-with-wispe). 1679 Bp. J. Gordon Reformed Bishop 250 I do firmly believe, That..He would have chosen rather to have sent down some English Doctors to have govern'd us..than have permitted any of those Willy-wisps to jump into these empty Chairs. 1748 S. Richardson Clarissa V. iii. 53 Knowlege by theory only is a vague uncertain light: A Will o' the Wisp. 1807 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life II. xvii. 119 Those Wills-o-the-wisp, the Reviewers. 1881 T. H. Huxley Sci. & Culture 247 The metaphysical Will-o'-the-wisps generated in the marshes of literature and theology. 1918 W. R. Inge Philos. Plotinus I. 188 The utterly unscientific notion of an automatic ‘law of progress’, that strange Will-o'-the-wisp of nineteenth-century thought. 2002 F. Close et al. Particle Odyssey ii. 17 The precise path of any individual electron around a nucleus can never be known—the more we try to pin it down, the more it eludes us, like a subatomic will-o'-the-wisp. 2. As a mass noun. The gelatinous colonies of cyanobacteria of the genus Nostoc, which become visible shortly after a period of rain. Also: a cyanobacterium of this genus. Now historical and rare. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > algae > [noun] > nostoc star slime1440 slime1471 nostoc?1609 star shot1653 star1666 star jelly1702 shot star1811 witches' meat1849 will-o'-the-wisp1863 witches' butter1922 1863 R. C. A. Prior On Pop. Names Brit. Plants 240 Will o' the Wisp, from its sudden growth by night as if dropped by some phantom, Tremella Nostoc, L. 2016 O. L. Lange & J. Belnap in B. Weber et al. Biol. Soil Crusts ii. 21 Common English names show the anxiety of people about these strange Nostoc colonies on soil, calling them fairies' or witches' butter, star-slime, star jelly, fallen stars, or will-o'-the-wisp. Compounds As a modifier. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > deception by illusion, delusion > [adjective] lyinga1225 deceptoryc1430 mockinga1529 sleight1533 prestigious?1534 illudinga1547 fallible1552 delusory1588 prestigiatory1588 illusory1599 delusive1607 deceptiousa1616 deludinga1616 flatteringa1616 delusorious1625 fallacious1626 ludificatorya1677 illusive1679 will-o'-the-wisp1682 prestigiating1716 shama1721 false1768 deceptitious1827 deceptional1830 phantasm1834 will-o'-the-wispish1842 will-o'-the-wispy1857 illusionistic1911 illusional1942 1682 ‘Rose Ally Poet’ Epitaph in ‘T. Younkercrape’ Serm. Renowned Observator sig. E2 The' Inferiour-Clergy (poor Noddies!) will stray, Now their Will-a-Wisp-Guide is gone out of the Way. 1873 All Year Round 5 July 226/1 Strange will-o'-the-wisp lights begin to flutter about the cordage. 1883 W. Black Shandon Bells xxi Kitty's will-o'-the-wisp flashes of petulance. 2012 Talk of Town (Nexis) 20 Sept. She comes across an ominous stone circle and then follows a will-o'-wisp trail to a strange, earth-mound house. Derivatives ˌwill-o'-the-ˈwispish adj. of the nature of a will-o'-the-wisp. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > optical illusion > [adjective] > ignis fatuus will-o'-the-wispish1842 will-o'-the-wispy1857 the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > deception by illusion, delusion > [adjective] lyinga1225 deceptoryc1430 mockinga1529 sleight1533 prestigious?1534 illudinga1547 fallible1552 delusory1588 prestigiatory1588 illusory1599 delusive1607 deceptiousa1616 deludinga1616 flatteringa1616 delusorious1625 fallacious1626 ludificatorya1677 illusive1679 will-o'-the-wisp1682 prestigiating1716 shama1721 false1768 deceptitious1827 deceptional1830 phantasm1834 will-o'-the-wispish1842 will-o'-the-wispy1857 illusionistic1911 illusional1942 1842 Satirist 26 June 206/3 A rambling, multifarious, will-o'-the-wispish sort of piece, and, with all its lightness, having a proportion of the heavy about it. 1873 E. Bulwer-Lytton Kenelm Chillingly I. ii. ii. 146 The boy..became impish and Will-of-the-Wisp-ish. 2018 Independent (Nexis) 19 Oct. 42 The north is a mercurial territory, and northernness itself a will-o'-the-wispish thing that's hard to pin down. ˌwill-o'-the-ˈwispy adj. = will-o'-the-wispish adj. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > optical illusion > [adjective] > ignis fatuus will-o'-the-wispish1842 will-o'-the-wispy1857 the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > deception by illusion, delusion > [adjective] lyinga1225 deceptoryc1430 mockinga1529 sleight1533 prestigious?1534 illudinga1547 fallible1552 delusory1588 prestigiatory1588 illusory1599 delusive1607 deceptiousa1616 deludinga1616 flatteringa1616 delusorious1625 fallacious1626 ludificatorya1677 illusive1679 will-o'-the-wisp1682 prestigiating1716 shama1721 false1768 deceptitious1827 deceptional1830 phantasm1834 will-o'-the-wispish1842 will-o'-the-wispy1857 illusionistic1911 illusional1942 1857 Graham's Illustr. Mag. Aug. 179/1 Most of her flashes are of a snapping, zig-zag, Will-o'-the-wispy nature. 1886 R. Broughton Dr. Cupid xxxi The Will-of-the-wispy laughter of his eyes. 2011 New Straits Times (Malaysia) (Nexis) 13 Mar. 21 It is not just here that this woolly-minded will-o'-the-wispy mode of thought is taking hold. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online March 2022). will-o'-the-wispv. Brit. /ˌwɪləðəˈwɪsp/, U.S. /ˌwɪləðəˈwɪsp/ Forms: see will-o'-the-wisp n. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: will-o'-the-wisp n. Etymology: < will-o'-the-wisp n. transitive. To lead (a person) astray like a will-o'-the-wisp. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > deception by illusion, delusion > deceive, delude [verb (transitive)] bedidderc1000 bipechec1000 swikeOE fodea1375 flatter1377 to make believea1393 illude1447 miscarrya1450 to fode forth (also occasionally forward, off, on, out)1479 delude1493 sophisticate1597 sile1608 prestigiate1647 will-o'-the-wisp1660 bilk1672 foxa1716 fickle1736 moonshine1824 1660 R. Wild Iter Boreale ix. 13 Dark-Lanthorn Language, and his peep-boe play, Will-E-Wispt Lambert's New-Lights out o'th' way. 1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 375 But to return to our Men of Learning, from whence we have been Will-ith-whisped. 1926 J. B. Priestley G. Meredith v. 129 Woman..is far less likely than man to be Will-o'-the-Wisped away by sheer unreason masquerading as reason. 1987 Social Scientist 15 4 Those LDCs, which were once will-o'-the-wisped into dallying with ‘modernization’ high-falutin', now exhibit, if anything, an acute technological dependence. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online December 2021). < n.1596v.1660
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will-o'-the-wispn.

Compounds

Derivatives

will-o'-the-wispv.