wispn.¹

Brit.

/wɪsp/, U.S.

/wɪsp/

Forms: Middle English, 1700s–1800s dialect wips, weps (Middle English wyps), 1700s–1800s dialect whips; Middle English (1500s, 1700s Scottish) wysp, Middle English–1500s wyspe, Middle English–1600s wispe, (1500s wysppe), Middle English–1500s Scottish wosp, wasp, 1500s–1800s whisp, Middle English– wisp.

Etymology: Of uncertain origin; perhaps an unrecorded Old English *wips , *wisp < *wipisa- , < base wip- in the sense ‘wind or bind round’, for derivatives of which see whip v.Compare West Frisian wisp wisp, twig, handful of straw. For the forms current in other German languages see whisk n.¹

a. A handful, bunch, or small bundle (of hay, straw, grass, etc.).

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > an assemblage or collection > [noun] > bundle > small

wrasec1275

wisp13..

bundleta1382

fardlet1413

knitchel?a1513

knitchet1601

13.. in Horstman Altengl. Leg. (1875) 91 Þer inne oure ledi him wond and bond him wiþ aliste, And leide him on awisp of hei [v.r. a wips of heye].

a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. ii. 24 Yey, gif Don, thyne hors, a wisp of hay!

1577 H. I. tr. H. Bullinger 50 Godlie Serm. II. iv. ii. sig. Aaa.v^v/2 These champions..bringing forth a speare made of a wrapt vp wisp of hay.

1639 J. Clarke Paroemiologia 215 All's alike at th' latter day, a bag of gold and wispe of hay.

1779 G. Keate Sketches from Nature (ed. 2) I. 42 But why do we stop?.. Only to give the horses a pail of water, replies the postillion... Nay, prithee boy, says my friend, add a whisp of hay to it.

1858 T. Carlyle Hist. Friedrich II of Prussia I. v. viii. 631 As if we were a starved coach-horse, to be quickened along by a wisp of hay put upon the coach-pole, close ahead of us always!

1879 J. Beerbohm Wanderings in Patagonia iv. 53 Made soft for the young chicks by a few wisps of grass.

b. used to wipe something dry or clean; now chiefly to rub down a horse.In quot. 1589 with allusion to hanging.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > wiping > [noun] > material for wiping with

wisp1362

wiper1587

wipard1653

J-cloth1967

wipe1971

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > [noun] > grooming of horses > grooming instruments

horse-comba1100

wisp1362

combc1440

mane-comb1564

curry-comb1573

scraper1581

rubber1598

teaseler1607

French brush1655

sweating-iron1753

dandy-brush1845

groomera1884

sweat-scraper1908

1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. v. 195 Alle þat herde þe horn heolden heore neose after, And weschte þat hit weore I-wipet with a wesp [v.rr. wips, wysp(e] of Firsen [C. vii. 402 Wips [v.r. weps] of breres].

14.. in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 595/35 Mempirium [= anitergium], a wyps.

a1425 Edward, Duke of York Master of Game (Digby) xx Þenne kembe euery hounde after oþer and wype hem with a gret wyspe of strawe.

a1513 W. Dunbar Flyting in Poems (1998) I. 202 For wit and woisdome ane wisp fra the may rub.

1589 Pappe w. Hatchet in Lyly's Wks. III. 404 If he driuell so at the mouth and nose, weele haue him wipte [= wiped] with a hempen wispe.

1596 T. Nashe Haue with you to Saffron-Walden sig. S A maulkin or wispe to wype her shooes with.

1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique vii. xxii. 840 For lice..wash them [sc. dogs] and rub them with a wispe.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Torche-cul, a wispe for the tayle.

1660 Scutum Regale: Royal Buckler 214 There you shall burn like wisps, which have done scouring the better vessels.

1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Embrocation Take the Soldiers Ointment,..and anoint the Part affected therewith, being first well rubbed with soft Whisps of Hay.

1864 E. Mayhew Illustr. Horse Managem. 378 The curry-comb is abolished; but the generality of grooms also require to be cautioned concerning the use of the whisp and the brush.

1901 F. Fitzwygram Horses & Stables vi.

c. in various special uses, e.g. as an ale-house sign; hung outside a house as a sign of the plague; as a plug, strainer, or wad; (of herbs) as a perfume or deodorant.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > plague or pestilence > [noun] > place infected with > sign of

wisp?1507

red cross?1566

the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > drinking place > [noun] > tavern or public house > tavern sign

lion?a1366

ale stake1396

ivy14..

sunc1400

tokenc1440

eagle1449

chequerc1460

wisp?1507

Saracen's head1510

ale-pole1523

bush1532

wine garland1533

ivy-garland1553

tavern-bush1553

lattice1575

ivy-bush1576

alebush1599

red lattice1604

elephanta1616

sagittarya1616

grate1622

wine-bush1638

popinjay1687

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > freedom from impurities > removal of impurities > straining > [noun] > strainer > bunch of hay or straw used as

wisp?1507

the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > that which or one who closes or shuts > [noun] > that which closes an aperture > material or composition used for > bundle of material

wisp?1507

wad1861

the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fragrance > [noun] > fragrant substance or perfume > nosegay

tuzzy-muzzyc1440

tyte tustc1440

nosegayc1500

tutty1578

nose-herba1616

wisp1626

pot-pourri1749

sachet1855

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > equipment for use with firearms > [noun] > wad

tampion1481

wadding1627

wad1667

wisp1688

patch1799

junk wad1822

grummet1828

patching1835

oil patch1861

grummet-wad1867

?1507 W. Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen (Rouen) in Poems (1998) I. 51 Ȝit tuk I neuer the wosp clene out of my wyde throte, Quhill I oucht wantit of my will.

?1507 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 92 I will..na bellis for me ring..Bot a bag pipe to play a spryng Et vnum ail wosp ante me.

1518 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxf. (1880) 18 The inhabitants of thos howses that be..infectyd shall kepe in, pott owt wyspes and ber whyt roddys.

1596 T. Nashe Haue with you to Saffron-Walden sig. N3 His Muse, from the first peeping foorth, hath stood at Liuery at an Ale-house wispe.

a1598 D. Fergusson Sc. Prov. (1641) sig. B4^v Good wine needs not a wispe.

1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §934 The same Man vsed to haue continually, a great Wispe of Herbes, that he smelled on.

1650 R. Stapleton tr. F. Strada De Bello Belgico ix. 41 [He] put forth..a wisp of straw, upon the end of a white Rod, as if he would, according to the custome of the Countrey, give notice..that the house was visited with the plague.

1658 tr. G. della Porta Nat. Magick v. ix. 176 Strain the vinegar through a wisp.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory (1905) iii. xviii. 141/1 A wisp or wad, is either hay or straw to put in after the powder.

1855 ‘E. S. Delamer’ Kitchen Garden 25 If the potatoes are moist,..it will be well to leave a wisp of straw sticking out at the top [of the ridge].

1901 J. Rhŷs Celtic Folklore I. iv. 299 He gave them herbs..and..sold them wisps to place under their pillows.

†d. in proverbial phrase as wise as a wisp. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1551 J. Bale Actes Eng. Votaryes: 2nd Pt. f. lxxxiiij Than as wyse as .ij. wyspes and as godly as .ij. goselynges, they examined her what her beleue was in the sacrament.

1655 H. More Second Lash of Alazonomastix 218 When we say that one is as wise as a wisp, does that imply the wisp is wise?

1682 H. More Annot. Lux Orientalis 35 in Two Choice & Useful Treat. They would have rose out of their sleep no more wise than a Wisp.

a. A twisted band, esp. of hay or straw; a ring or wreath of twisted material, used as a pad.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > curvature > coil > [noun] > coiled object > used as a pad

wisp1398

1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) iii. xviii. D v b/1 [The] gristylbone..in y^e eere..is wound & wrapped as a wyspe, leest the spyrite of heringe were..hurt by sodayn..smytynge.

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 530/2 Wyspe, torques,..torquillus.

1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 239/2 [They] mocked hym..and bond behynd hym wyspes of strawe.

1607 G. Markham Cavelarice iv. 48 As you rid him with the tramels, so you shall ride him with these wispes [i.e. thick ‘thumb-roapes’ of hay round his pasterns].

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Torche,..the wreathed clowt, wispe, or wad of straw, layed by wenches betweene their heads, and the things which they carrie on them.

1725 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey III. x. 195 An ell in length the pliant wisp I weav'd, And the huge body on my shoulders heav'd.

1876 S. Smiles Life Sc. Naturalist i. 10 His mother tied him firmly to the table leg with a thick wisp of thrums.

1908 J. Gunn's Orkney Book 394 ‘Wisps’ (the local name for great rolls of heather ‘simmons’, or ropes, used in thatching houses).

†b. A twist or figure of straw for a scold to rail at. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > change > exchange > substitution > [noun] > scapegoat

wispa1450

whipping-boy1647

scapegoat1824

whip-boy1845

whipping-girl1896

the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > invective or abuse > [noun] > one who is abused > figure of straw to be abused

wispa1450

a1450 Knt. de la Tour xv. 21 He writhed a litell wipse of strawe, and sette it afore her, and saide, ladi, yef that ye will chide more, chide with that straw.

1566 T. Drant tr. Horace Medicinable Morall sig. Dvij^v Women..Whose tatling tongues, had won a wispe.

1595 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 ii. ii. 144 A wispe of straw were worth a thousand crowns.

1626 H. Parrot Cures for Itch sig. B5^v Theres nothing mads..her [sc. a scold] more..then but the very naming of a wispe.

1698 R. Ferguson View of Ecclesiastick in Socks & Buskins 27 As a Wisp..is a Theame copious enough to engage an Harangue for an hour long to a well studied Scold.

a. A bunch or twisted bundle of hay or straw, used for burning as a torch, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > torch > [noun] > bundle of straw used as

wasea1400

wisp1412

1412–20 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy iv. 4984 Þei faren as a wisp a-fire: Whanne it brenneþ briȝtest in his blase, Sodeinly it wasteþ.

1568 Wyf of Auchtirmwchty 29 in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS (1928) II. 321 Ȝeis lay ane soft wisp to þe kill.

1572 L. Mascall tr. D. Brossard L'Art et Maniere de Semer vii, in Bk. Plant & Graffe Trees 52 Ye shall..wyth a wispe on a poles ende, set fyre on all.

1682 London Gaz. No. 1688/4 Some rascally Boys..who made some wisps of Straw, and burnt them in the dark night.

1806 J. Black Falls of Clyde 169 Fie light a wisp, and look below the bed!

1846 J. Baxter Libr. Pract. Agric. (ed. 4) II. 268 It should be put into the oven, moderately heated with a few wisps of straw.

b. A marsh-fire, will-o'-the-wisp n.; also the light supposed to be carried by the sprite. In later use poetic.

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 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

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.]

1618 Bp. J. Hall Contempl. IV. N.T. i. 398 Philosophy without the starre is but the wispe of error.

1650 S. Dillingham in H. Cary Memorials Great Civil War (1842) II. 226 It is the saints' minimum quoddam naturale; a Nol with the wisp.

1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel vii ‘Jack-a-lantern’ with his wisp alight.

1822 Ld. Byron Vision of Judgm. c v Light as an elf, Or wisp that flits o'er a morass.

1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess iv. 32 We did not know the real light, but chased The wisp that flickers where no foot can tread.

4. A bundle or parcel containing a definite quantity (of certain commodities: see quots.). Scottish and northern. (Presumably so named from being originally tied in a bundle with a wisp or wisps of straw or hay: cf. widdie n. 2, and the analogous sheaf n.¹ 2.)

a. of steel and glass.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > glass and glass-like materials > [noun] > glass > measure or quantity of

sheaf1402

wisp1470

way1558

web1558

crib1688

crate1823

1470 in J. Raine Fabric Rolls York Minster (1859) 73 Pro j les wysp vitri rubii, 16 d.

1496 in T. Dickson Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1877) I. 292 Item..for vij wosp of steil to pykkis and mattokkis xiiij s.

1511–12 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1902) IV. 273 Ane wisp of Lambart steile, price iiij s.

15.. Aberdeen Reg. (Jam.) Ane wosp of glas.

1612 Bk. Customs & Valuation in A. Halyburton Ledger (1867) 330 Wisp steill the wisp, x s.

1621 in Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1895) XII. 439 Thay fand that the..caissis of the said glasse contenis fyfteene wispis and that in everie wisp thair is three tablis.

1657 [see wisp-steel n. at Compounds].

b. of other things, e.g. fish.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > seafood > [noun] > fish > quantity of fish

stickOE

mease1332

warp1436

bind1477

wisp1521

cast1587

strikea1690

turna1690

cran1797

toss1851

swill1894

1521 Aberdeen Reg. XI. (Jam.) Four wospe of malt.

1557 Rec. Inverness (New Spalding Club) I. 8 This is the pricis [of fish]: for the gret wasp iij s., the small wasp xxx d.

1910 Aberd. Jrnl. Notes & Queries 3 150/2 Weesp, a quantity of fish; ‘I hae naething bit a weesp o' eels' as the result of my fishing—Moray.’

c. transferred. A flock (of birds, esp. snipe).

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > birds > [noun] > flock of

shoal1579

flock1598

wisp1806

pod1827

the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > family Scolopacidae (snipes, etc.) > [noun] > genus Gallinago > galinago gallinago (common snipe) > company of

walka1450

wisp1806

1806 P. Neill Tour Orkney & Shetl. 59 The sportsman..will not pass a marsh without starting several wisps of snipe.

c1810 A. Mackintosh Driffield Angler 294 Wisp, or whisp, of snipes.

1886 P. Robinson Valley Teetotum Trees 159 A barrelful of shot emptied into a wisp of larks.

5. In various transferred and allusive senses.

a. A twist of paper.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > material for making paper > paper > [noun] > twist of paper

wisp1597

1597 Returne fr. Parnassus v. i. 1434 What, you saucye groome, are you bringinge mee such paper wisps?

1800 in Spirit of Public Jrnls. (1801) 4 264 And soar like a wisp to the tail of his kite.

1859 F. Nightingale Notes on Nursing ii. 17 If you have a fire-place, would you cram it up..with a great wisp of brown paper?

1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. i. xiii. 121 The bare-armed Bob, leading the way with a flaming wisp of paper.

b. A heap or bundle (of clothes).

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > [noun] > heap or bundle of

wisp1736

1736 S. Pegge Alphabet of Kenticisms (E.D.S.) at Wips ‘The cloaths lie in a whips’, i.e. tumbl'd in disorder.

1786 S. Henley tr. W. Beckford Arabian Tale 106 At last, he was drawn forth, almost smothered, from the wisp of linen.

1810 T. Williamson E. India Vade-mecum I. 245 The cloaths are..folded up into whisps, or bundles.

c. (See quot.)

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > veterinary medicine and surgery > [noun] > veterinary equipment > rowel or seton

rowel1566

tampion1566

French rowel1639

scopel1740

wisp1787

scopperil1855

1787 W. Marshall Provincialisms in Rural Econ. Norfolk II. 391 Wisp, a rowel, or seton.

d. A thin, narrow, filmy, or slight piece, fragment, or portion (of something); a mere shred or ‘slip’ of.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > condition of being long in relation to breadth > [noun] > long narrow piece > slight or thin

wisp1836

the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a separate part > a piece or bit > small piece

fingereOE

snedec1000

seed?a1200

morselc1300

bittlock?a1400

farthingc1405

spota1413

lipetc1430

offe?1440

drewc1450

remnantc1450

parcel1483

crap1520

flakec1525

patch1528

spark1548

a piece1559

sparklec1570

inch1573

nibbling?1577

scantling1585

scrat1593

mincing1598

scantle1598

halfpenny1600

quantity1600

nip1606

kantch1608

bit1609

catch1613

scripa1617

snap1616

sippeta1625

crumblet1634

scute1635

scantleta1642

snattock1654

cantlet1700

tab1729

pallion1738

smallness1818

knobble1823

wisp1836

1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 2nd Ser. 219 A rusty black neck-kerchief with a red border, tied in a narrow wisp round his neck.

1836 M. Somerville Connex. Physical Sci. (ed. 3) xxxvi. 398 Some [nebulæ] cling to stars like wisps of cloud.

1848 W. M. Thackeray Our Street 14 She had a large casque with a red horse-hair plume (I thought it had been a wisp of her brother's beard at first).

1883 Cent. Mag. Sept. 719/1 Tufted with ferns and brambles and wisps of delicate long grass.

1883 R. L. Stevenson Silverado Squatters i. i. 22 That great mountain..weaving vapours, wisp after wisp growing, trembling, fleeting, and fading in the blue.

1889 A. Conan Doyle Micah Clarke xii. 107 As we approached this lonely gibbet we saw that a dried-up wisp of a thing..was dangling from the centre of it.

1893 R. L. Stevenson Catriona xxviii. 337 The sun had gone down, a little wisp of a new moon was following it.

1919 Blackwood's Mag. Aug. 244/1 Dawson pointed to a thin wisp of smoke on the horizon.

e. A small broom; a whisk.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > brushing or sweeping > [noun] > brush or broom

besomc1000

bast broom1357

brush1377

broom14..

sweepc1475

duster1575

bristle brush1601

broom-besom1693

flag-broom1697

stock-brush1700

whisk1745

birch-broom1747

hair-broom1753

spry1796

corn-broomc1810

pope's head1824

whisker1825

sweeping-brusha1828

swish1844

spoke-brush1851

whisk broom1857

Turk's head1859

wisp1875

tube-brush1877

bass-broom?1881

crumb-brush1884

dusting-brush1907

palmetto brush1913

suede brush1915

swale1949

1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Wisp, a besom, a small broom.

1908 H. R. Haggard Ghost Kings xv. 209 A fly wisp made of the tip of an elephant's tail shrunk on to a handle of rhinoceros horn.

Compounds

wisp bacillus n. (see quot. 1916).

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > organism > micro-organism > bacterium > bacillus > [noun] > types of

tubercle bacillus1882

Koch's bacillus1885

comma (bacillus)1886

spider-cell1888

Klebs–Löffler1895

Hofmann's bacillus1897

Koch–Weeks bacillus1898

Pfeiffer's bacillus1900

Shiga1900

Hansen('s) bacillus1903

streptobacilli1903

Johne's bacillus1907

wisp bacillus1915

klebsiella1928

Shigella1937

listerella1940

coliform1951

thiobacillus1951

1915 Lancet 18 Sept. 639/1 The non-sporing bacteria of fæcal origin—e.g., strepto-cocci, B. proteus, ‘wisp’ bacilli, &c.

1916 Lancet 8 Jan. 75/1 The so-called ‘wisp bacillus’..is the B. ramosus or a member of its group.

wisp-light n. a will-o'-the-wisp.

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

a1847 E. Cook To Spirit of Song iv When wisp-lights dance on the moor and fen.

† wisp-steel n. Obsolete steel sold in wisps.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > steel > [noun] > steel in specific form

gad steel1604

wisp-steel1604

steel-plating1825

sheet1884

tubular steel1933

1604 Rates Marchandizes sig. H2^v Steele voc. Long-steele Wisp-steele and such.

1612Wisp steill [see sense 4a].

1657 Acts Interregn. (1911) II. 1220 Steel called Steel Wisp or Long.

Derivatives

wisp-like adj.

ΚΠ

1883 W. Saville-Kent in Fisheries Bahamas 36 A twisted wisp-like bundle of long silicious spicules.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1928; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

wispv.

Brit.

/wɪsp/, U.S.

/wɪsp/

Forms: Also 1600s, 1800s whisp.

Etymology: < wisp n.¹

1. transitive. To rub (an animal, esp. a horse) down or over with a wisp.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > [verb (transitive)] > groom horse

curryc1290

scrub13..

shruba1400

kembc1400

dress1510

to rub down1593

wispa1598

curry-comb1708

groom1809

strap1854

a1598 D. Fergusson Sc. Prov. (1641) sig. A3^v A fair bryde is soon buskt, and a short horse soone wispt.

1834 New Monthly Mag. 42 436 Wisp her and curry her, feed her and train her!..and what is she after all but a mule!

1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm II. 217 The whole body should then be wisped down with straw.

1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm II. 217 Of wisping and brushing, wisping is the more beneficial to the legs, where the hair is short.

1844 Queen's Regulations & Orders Army 351 They are to remain saddled.., time being allowed for wisping them over.

1856 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports ii. i. xi. §1. 361/1 Beginning with the head, which should be first brushed over, then well whisped with a handful of hay.

†2. To put a twisted band of hay upon (the legs of a horse). Also with up. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > general equipment > [verb (transitive)] > hobble

warlocka1400

langlec1440

hopple1586

impester1601

trammel1607

wisp1607

spancel1610

side-hankle1627

sidelanga1642

sidelangle1660

side-span1660

hamshackle1802

hobble1804

twitchel1826

sideline1837

span1847

heel1887

1607 G. Markham Cavelarice iv. 48 Hauing thus wispt al his foure legs,..you shall then mount vpon him [etc.].

1639 T. de Gray Compl. Horseman i. v. 32 Whisp him up round with small whisps.

3. To twist into or as a wisp; dialect to rumple.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > curvature > coil > [verb (transitive)] > twist spirally

writheOE

wethe1398

wind1398

withe1398

turna1450

cralla1475

twirk1599

twirla1625

twire1628

twist1714

wisp1753

twistle1788

twizzle1788

screw1834

twistify1835

the world > relative properties > order > disorder > confusion or disorder > untidiness > make untidy [verb (transitive)] > tousle or rumple

touslea1440

frumplea1529

ruffle1530

rouzle1582

touse1598

rumple1714

wisp1823

1753 W. Hogarth Anal. Beauty v. 28 The very same head of hair, wisp'd, and matted together, would make the most disagreeable figure.

1823 E. Moor Suffolk Words 487 Wisp is used with us, in the farther sense of rudely handling any delicate thing—‘Dont wisp it’.

1870 ‘Ouida’ Puck I. vi. 110 ‘Ye'r wispin' tha ribbon, ma dear,’ said Dick.

1880 Daily Tel. 2 Mar. 5/2 A cloth, degenerating into a rag, is wisped round his head.

4. intransitive. To pass away, as a wisp of vapour.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > invisibility > be or become invisible [verb (intransitive)] > vanish or disappear

formeltc893

wendOE

witea1000

aworthc1000

fleec1200

fleetc1200

withdraw1297

vanish1303

voidc1374

unkithea1400

startc1405

disappearc1425

disparishc1425

to fall awayc1443

evanish?a1475

vade1495

sinka1500

vade1530

fly1535

fadea1538

melt?1567

dispear1600

relinquish1601

foist1603

dispersea1616

to vanish (melt, etc.) into thin aira1616

dissipate1626

retire1647

evaporate1713

merge1802

illude1820

to foam off1826

dislimn1833

furl1844

to step out1844

evanesce1855

shade1880

wisp1883

to go to the winds1884

walk1898

to do a disappearing act1913

to go west1916

to do (or take) a fade1949

to phase out1970

1883 G. Meredith Poems & Lyrics 12 Whish! the phantom wisps away.

1898 G. W. Steevens With Kitchener to Khartum 278 Magically the rifles hushed, the stinging powder smoke wisped away.

5. intransitive. Of hair, etc.: to hang or twine in wisps.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > hair > types of hair > [verb (intransitive)] > wispy

wisp1913

1913 W. de la Mare Peacock Pie 31 Topknot to love~curl The hair wisps down.

1976 ‘A. York’ Dark Passage iv. 56 Long, straight hair which wisped on her shoulders.

Derivatives

wisped adj.

/wɪspt/

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > styles of hair > [adjective] > in a specific style

Frenched1762

stivereda1855

roached1856

wisped1922

marcel-waved1923

windswept1931

picky1935

Jesus1938

upswept1938

swept-up1948

bouffant1955

headphone1965

scraped-back1970

1922 A. S. M. Hutchinson This Freedom ii. ix. 164 Her face flushed; her hat awry; her hair escaped and wisped about her eyes.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1928; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	wisp
释义	wispn.¹ Brit. /wɪsp/, U.S. /wɪsp/ Forms: Middle English, 1700s–1800s dialect wips, weps (Middle English wyps), 1700s–1800s dialect whips; Middle English (1500s, 1700s Scottish) wysp, Middle English–1500s wyspe, Middle English–1600s wispe, (1500s wysppe), Middle English–1500s Scottish wosp, wasp, 1500s–1800s whisp, Middle English– wisp. Etymology: Of uncertain origin; perhaps an unrecorded Old English wips , wisp < wipisa- , < base wip-* in the sense ‘wind or bind round’, for derivatives of which see whip v.Compare West Frisian wisp wisp, twig, handful of straw. For the forms current in other German languages see whisk n.¹ 1. a. A handful, bunch, or small bundle (of hay, straw, grass, etc.). ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > an assemblage or collection > [noun] > bundle > small wrasec1275 wisp13.. bundleta1382 fardlet1413 knitchel?a1513 knitchet1601 13.. in Horstman Altengl. Leg. (1875) 91 Þer inne oure ledi him wond and bond him wiþ aliste, And leide him on awisp of hei [v.r. a wips of heye]. a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. ii. 24 Yey, gif Don, thyne hors, a wisp of hay! 1577 H. I. tr. H. Bullinger 50 Godlie Serm. II. iv. ii. sig. Aaa.v^v/2 These champions..bringing forth a speare made of a wrapt vp wisp of hay. 1639 J. Clarke Paroemiologia 215 All's alike at th' latter day, a bag of gold and wispe of hay. 1779 G. Keate Sketches from Nature (ed. 2) I. 42 But why do we stop?.. Only to give the horses a pail of water, replies the postillion... Nay, prithee boy, says my friend, add a whisp of hay to it. 1858 T. Carlyle Hist. Friedrich II of Prussia I. v. viii. 631 As if we were a starved coach-horse, to be quickened along by a wisp of hay put upon the coach-pole, close ahead of us always! 1879 J. Beerbohm Wanderings in Patagonia iv. 53 Made soft for the young chicks by a few wisps of grass. b. used to wipe something dry or clean; now chiefly to rub down a horse.In quot. 1589 with allusion to hanging. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > wiping > [noun] > material for wiping with wisp1362 wiper1587 wipard1653 J-cloth1967 wipe1971 the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > [noun] > grooming of horses > grooming instruments horse-comba1100 wisp1362 combc1440 mane-comb1564 curry-comb1573 scraper1581 rubber1598 teaseler1607 French brush1655 sweating-iron1753 dandy-brush1845 groomera1884 sweat-scraper1908 1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. v. 195 Alle þat herde þe horn heolden heore neose after, And weschte þat hit weore I-wipet with a wesp [v.rr. wips, wysp(e] of Firsen [C. vii. 402 Wips [v.r. weps] of breres]. 14.. in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 595/35 Mempirium [= anitergium], a wyps. a1425 Edward, Duke of York Master of Game (Digby) xx Þenne kembe euery hounde after oþer and wype hem with a gret wyspe of strawe. a1513 W. Dunbar Flyting in Poems (1998) I. 202 For wit and woisdome ane wisp fra the may rub. 1589 Pappe w. Hatchet in Lyly's Wks. III. 404 If he driuell so at the mouth and nose, weele haue him wipte [= wiped] with a hempen wispe. 1596 T. Nashe Haue with you to Saffron-Walden sig. S A maulkin or wispe to wype her shooes with. 1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique vii. xxii. 840 For lice..wash them [sc. dogs] and rub them with a wispe. 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Torche-cul, a wispe for the tayle. 1660 Scutum Regale: Royal Buckler 214 There you shall burn like wisps, which have done scouring the better vessels. 1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Embrocation Take the Soldiers Ointment,..and anoint the Part affected therewith, being first well rubbed with soft Whisps of Hay. 1864 E. Mayhew Illustr. Horse Managem. 378 The curry-comb is abolished; but the generality of grooms also require to be cautioned concerning the use of the whisp and the brush. 1901 F. Fitzwygram Horses & Stables vi. c. in various special uses, e.g. as an ale-house sign; hung outside a house as a sign of the plague; as a plug, strainer, or wad; (of herbs) as a perfume or deodorant. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > plague or pestilence > [noun] > place infected with > sign of wisp?1507 red cross?1566 the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > drinking place > [noun] > tavern or public house > tavern sign lion?a1366 ale stake1396 ivy14.. sunc1400 tokenc1440 eagle1449 chequerc1460 wisp?1507 Saracen's head1510 ale-pole1523 bush1532 wine garland1533 ivy-garland1553 tavern-bush1553 lattice1575 ivy-bush1576 alebush1599 red lattice1604 elephanta1616 sagittarya1616 grate1622 wine-bush1638 popinjay1687 the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > freedom from impurities > removal of impurities > straining > [noun] > strainer > bunch of hay or straw used as wisp?1507 the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > that which or one who closes or shuts > [noun] > that which closes an aperture > material or composition used for > bundle of material wisp?1507 wad1861 the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fragrance > [noun] > fragrant substance or perfume > nosegay tuzzy-muzzyc1440 tyte tustc1440 nosegayc1500 tutty1578 nose-herba1616 wisp1626 pot-pourri1749 sachet1855 society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > equipment for use with firearms > [noun] > wad tampion1481 wadding1627 wad1667 wisp1688 patch1799 junk wad1822 grummet1828 patching1835 oil patch1861 grummet-wad1867 ?1507 W. Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen (Rouen) in Poems (1998) I. 51 Ȝit tuk I neuer the wosp clene out of my wyde throte, Quhill I oucht wantit of my will. ?1507 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 92 I will..na bellis for me ring..Bot a bag pipe to play a spryng Et vnum ail wosp ante me. 1518 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxf. (1880) 18 The inhabitants of thos howses that be..infectyd shall kepe in, pott owt wyspes and ber whyt roddys. 1596 T. Nashe Haue with you to Saffron-Walden sig. N3 His Muse, from the first peeping foorth, hath stood at Liuery at an Ale-house wispe. a1598 D. Fergusson Sc. Prov. (1641) sig. B4^v Good wine needs not a wispe. 1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §934 The same Man vsed to haue continually, a great Wispe of Herbes, that he smelled on. 1650 R. Stapleton tr. F. Strada De Bello Belgico ix. 41 [He] put forth..a wisp of straw, upon the end of a white Rod, as if he would, according to the custome of the Countrey, give notice..that the house was visited with the plague. 1658 tr. G. della Porta Nat. Magick v. ix. 176 Strain the vinegar through a wisp. 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory (1905) iii. xviii. 141/1 A wisp or wad, is either hay or straw to put in after the powder. 1855 ‘E. S. Delamer’ Kitchen Garden 25 If the potatoes are moist,..it will be well to leave a wisp of straw sticking out at the top [of the ridge]. 1901 J. Rhŷs Celtic Folklore I. iv. 299 He gave them herbs..and..sold them wisps to place under their pillows. †d. in proverbial phrase as wise as a wisp. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1551 J. Bale Actes Eng. Votaryes: 2nd Pt. f. lxxxiiij Than as wyse as .ij. wyspes and as godly as .ij. goselynges, they examined her what her beleue was in the sacrament. 1655 H. More Second Lash of Alazonomastix 218 When we say that one is as wise as a wisp, does that imply the wisp is wise? 1682 H. More Annot. Lux Orientalis 35 in Two Choice & Useful Treat. They would have rose out of their sleep no more wise than a Wisp. 2. a. A twisted band, esp. of hay or straw; a ring or wreath of twisted material, used as a pad. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > curvature > coil > [noun] > coiled object > used as a pad wisp1398 1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) iii. xviii. D v b/1 [The] gristylbone..in y^e eere..is wound & wrapped as a wyspe, leest the spyrite of heringe were..hurt by sodayn..smytynge. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 530/2 Wyspe, torques,..torquillus. 1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 239/2 [They] mocked hym..and bond behynd hym wyspes of strawe. 1607 G. Markham Cavelarice iv. 48 As you rid him with the tramels, so you shall ride him with these wispes [i.e. thick ‘thumb-roapes’ of hay round his pasterns]. 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Torche,..the wreathed clowt, wispe, or wad of straw, layed by wenches betweene their heads, and the things which they carrie on them. 1725 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey III. x. 195 An ell in length the pliant wisp I weav'd, And the huge body on my shoulders heav'd. 1876 S. Smiles Life Sc. Naturalist i. 10 His mother tied him firmly to the table leg with a thick wisp of thrums. 1908 J. Gunn's Orkney Book 394 ‘Wisps’ (the local name for great rolls of heather ‘simmons’, or ropes, used in thatching houses). †b. A twist or figure of straw for a scold to rail at. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > time > change > exchange > substitution > [noun] > scapegoat wispa1450 whipping-boy1647 scapegoat1824 whip-boy1845 whipping-girl1896 the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > invective or abuse > [noun] > one who is abused > figure of straw to be abused wispa1450 a1450 Knt. de la Tour xv. 21 He writhed a litell wipse of strawe, and sette it afore her, and saide, ladi, yef that ye will chide more, chide with that straw. 1566 T. Drant tr. Horace Medicinable Morall sig. Dvij^v Women..Whose tatling tongues, had won a wispe. 1595 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 ii. ii. 144 A wispe of straw were worth a thousand crowns. 1626 H. Parrot Cures for Itch sig. B5^v Theres nothing mads..her [sc. a scold] more..then but the very naming of a wispe. 1698 R. Ferguson View of Ecclesiastick in Socks & Buskins 27 As a Wisp..is a Theame copious enough to engage an Harangue for an hour long to a well studied Scold. 3. a. A bunch or twisted bundle of hay or straw, used for burning as a torch, etc. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > torch > [noun] > bundle of straw used as wasea1400 wisp1412 1412–20 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy iv. 4984 Þei faren as a wisp a-fire: Whanne it brenneþ briȝtest in his blase, Sodeinly it wasteþ. 1568 Wyf of Auchtirmwchty 29 in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS (1928) II. 321 Ȝeis lay ane soft wisp to þe kill. 1572 L. Mascall tr. D. Brossard L'Art et Maniere de Semer vii, in Bk. Plant & Graffe Trees 52 Ye shall..wyth a wispe on a poles ende, set fyre on all. 1682 London Gaz. No. 1688/4 Some rascally Boys..who made some wisps of Straw, and burnt them in the dark night. 1806 J. Black Falls of Clyde 169 Fie light a wisp, and look below the bed! 1846 J. Baxter Libr. Pract. Agric. (ed. 4) II. 268 It should be put into the oven, moderately heated with a few wisps of straw. b. A marsh-fire, will-o'-the-wisp n.; also the light supposed to be carried by the sprite. In later use poetic. 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 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 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.] 1618 Bp. J. Hall Contempl. IV. N.T. i. 398 Philosophy without the starre is but the wispe of error. 1650 S. Dillingham in H. Cary Memorials Great Civil War (1842) II. 226 It is the saints' minimum quoddam naturale; a Nol with the wisp. 1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel vii ‘Jack-a-lantern’ with his wisp alight. 1822 Ld. Byron Vision of Judgm. c v Light as an elf, Or wisp that flits o'er a morass. 1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess iv. 32 We did not know the real light, but chased The wisp that flickers where no foot can tread. 4. A bundle or parcel containing a definite quantity (of certain commodities: see quots.). Scottish and northern. (Presumably so named from being originally tied in a bundle with a wisp or wisps of straw or hay: cf. widdie n. 2, and the analogous sheaf n.¹ 2.) a. of steel and glass. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > glass and glass-like materials > [noun] > glass > measure or quantity of sheaf1402 wisp1470 way1558 web1558 crib1688 crate1823 1470 in J. Raine Fabric Rolls York Minster (1859) 73 Pro j les wysp vitri rubii, 16 d. 1496 in T. Dickson Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1877) I. 292 Item..for vij wosp of steil to pykkis and mattokkis xiiij s. 1511–12 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1902) IV. 273 Ane wisp of Lambart steile, price iiij s. 15.. Aberdeen Reg. (Jam.) Ane wosp of glas. 1612 Bk. Customs & Valuation in A. Halyburton Ledger (1867) 330 Wisp steill the wisp, x s. 1621 in Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1895) XII. 439 Thay fand that the..caissis of the said glasse contenis fyfteene wispis and that in everie wisp thair is three tablis. 1657 [see wisp-steel n. at Compounds]. b. of other things, e.g. fish. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > seafood > [noun] > fish > quantity of fish stickOE mease1332 warp1436 bind1477 wisp1521 cast1587 strikea1690 turna1690 cran1797 toss1851 swill1894 1521 Aberdeen Reg. XI. (Jam.) Four wospe of malt. 1557 Rec. Inverness (New Spalding Club) I. 8 This is the pricis [of fish]: for the gret wasp iij s., the small wasp xxx d. 1910 Aberd. Jrnl. Notes & Queries 3 150/2 Weesp, a quantity of fish; ‘I hae naething bit a weesp o' eels' as the result of my fishing—Moray.’ c. transferred. A flock (of birds, esp. snipe). ΘΚΠ the world > animals > birds > [noun] > flock of shoal1579 flock1598 wisp1806 pod1827 the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > family Scolopacidae (snipes, etc.) > [noun] > genus Gallinago > galinago gallinago (common snipe) > company of walka1450 wisp1806 1806 P. Neill Tour Orkney & Shetl. 59 The sportsman..will not pass a marsh without starting several wisps of snipe. c1810 A. Mackintosh Driffield Angler 294 Wisp, or whisp, of snipes. 1886 P. Robinson Valley Teetotum Trees 159 A barrelful of shot emptied into a wisp of larks. 5. In various transferred and allusive senses. a. A twist of paper. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > material for making paper > paper > [noun] > twist of paper wisp1597 1597 Returne fr. Parnassus v. i. 1434 What, you saucye groome, are you bringinge mee such paper wisps? 1800 in Spirit of Public Jrnls. (1801) 4 264 And soar like a wisp to the tail of his kite. 1859 F. Nightingale Notes on Nursing ii. 17 If you have a fire-place, would you cram it up..with a great wisp of brown paper? 1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. i. xiii. 121 The bare-armed Bob, leading the way with a flaming wisp of paper. b. A heap or bundle (of clothes). ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > [noun] > heap or bundle of wisp1736 1736 S. Pegge Alphabet of Kenticisms (E.D.S.) at Wips ‘The cloaths lie in a whips’, i.e. tumbl'd in disorder. 1786 S. Henley tr. W. Beckford Arabian Tale 106 At last, he was drawn forth, almost smothered, from the wisp of linen. 1810 T. Williamson E. India Vade-mecum I. 245 The cloaths are..folded up into whisps, or bundles. c. (See quot.) ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > veterinary medicine and surgery > [noun] > veterinary equipment > rowel or seton rowel1566 tampion1566 French rowel1639 scopel1740 wisp1787 scopperil1855 1787 W. Marshall Provincialisms in Rural Econ. Norfolk II. 391 Wisp, a rowel, or seton. d. A thin, narrow, filmy, or slight piece, fragment, or portion (of something); a mere shred or ‘slip’ of. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > condition of being long in relation to breadth > [noun] > long narrow piece > slight or thin wisp1836 the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a separate part > a piece or bit > small piece fingereOE snedec1000 seed?a1200 morselc1300 bittlock?a1400 farthingc1405 spota1413 lipetc1430 offe?1440 drewc1450 remnantc1450 parcel1483 crap1520 flakec1525 patch1528 spark1548 a piece1559 sparklec1570 inch1573 nibbling?1577 scantling1585 scrat1593 mincing1598 scantle1598 halfpenny1600 quantity1600 nip1606 kantch1608 bit1609 catch1613 scripa1617 snap1616 sippeta1625 crumblet1634 scute1635 scantleta1642 snattock1654 cantlet1700 tab1729 pallion1738 smallness1818 knobble1823 wisp1836 1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 2nd Ser. 219 A rusty black neck-kerchief with a red border, tied in a narrow wisp round his neck. 1836 M. Somerville Connex. Physical Sci. (ed. 3) xxxvi. 398 Some [nebulæ] cling to stars like wisps of cloud. 1848 W. M. Thackeray Our Street 14 She had a large casque with a red horse-hair plume (I thought it had been a wisp of her brother's beard at first). 1883 Cent. Mag. Sept. 719/1 Tufted with ferns and brambles and wisps of delicate long grass. 1883 R. L. Stevenson Silverado Squatters i. i. 22 That great mountain..weaving vapours, wisp after wisp growing, trembling, fleeting, and fading in the blue. 1889 A. Conan Doyle Micah Clarke xii. 107 As we approached this lonely gibbet we saw that a dried-up wisp of a thing..was dangling from the centre of it. 1893 R. L. Stevenson Catriona xxviii. 337 The sun had gone down, a little wisp of a new moon was following it. 1919 Blackwood's Mag. Aug. 244/1 Dawson pointed to a thin wisp of smoke on the horizon. e. A small broom; a whisk. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > brushing or sweeping > [noun] > brush or broom besomc1000 bast broom1357 brush1377 broom14.. sweepc1475 duster1575 bristle brush1601 broom-besom1693 flag-broom1697 stock-brush1700 whisk1745 birch-broom1747 hair-broom1753 spry1796 corn-broomc1810 pope's head1824 whisker1825 sweeping-brusha1828 swish1844 spoke-brush1851 whisk broom1857 Turk's head1859 wisp1875 tube-brush1877 bass-broom?1881 crumb-brush1884 dusting-brush1907 palmetto brush1913 suede brush1915 swale1949 1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Wisp, a besom, a small broom. 1908 H. R. Haggard Ghost Kings xv. 209 A fly wisp made of the tip of an elephant's tail shrunk on to a handle of rhinoceros horn. Compounds wisp bacillus n. (see quot. 1916). ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > organism > micro-organism > bacterium > bacillus > [noun] > types of tubercle bacillus1882 Koch's bacillus1885 comma (bacillus)1886 spider-cell1888 Klebs–Löffler1895 Hofmann's bacillus1897 Koch–Weeks bacillus1898 Pfeiffer's bacillus1900 Shiga1900 Hansen('s) bacillus1903 streptobacilli1903 Johne's bacillus1907 wisp bacillus1915 klebsiella1928 Shigella1937 listerella1940 coliform1951 thiobacillus1951 1915 Lancet 18 Sept. 639/1 The non-sporing bacteria of fæcal origin—e.g., strepto-cocci, B. proteus, ‘wisp’ bacilli, &c. 1916 Lancet 8 Jan. 75/1 The so-called ‘wisp bacillus’..is the B. ramosus or a member of its group. wisp-light n. a will-o'-the-wisp. 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 a1847 E. Cook To Spirit of Song iv When wisp-lights dance on the moor and fen. † wisp-steel n. Obsolete steel sold in wisps. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > steel > [noun] > steel in specific form gad steel1604 wisp-steel1604 steel-plating1825 sheet1884 tubular steel1933 1604 Rates Marchandizes sig. H2^v Steele voc. Long-steele Wisp-steele and such. 1612Wisp steill [see sense 4a]. 1657 Acts Interregn. (1911) II. 1220 Steel called Steel Wisp or Long. Derivatives wisp-like adj. ΚΠ 1883 W. Saville-Kent in Fisheries Bahamas 36 A twisted wisp-like bundle of long silicious spicules. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1928; most recently modified version published online March 2022). wispn.² Brit. /wɪsp/, U.S. /wɪsp/ Forms: Also 1500s wyspe, 1700s–1800s whisp. Etymology: Of doubtful origin; perhaps a use of wisp n.¹ dialect. a. A disease in cattle, causing lameness or soreness near the hoof. (Cf. angleberry n., foul adj. 4a.) ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of cattle > [noun] > other disorders of cattle murrainc1450 gall1577 gargyse1577 sprenges1577 wisp1577 closh1587 milting1587 moltlong1587 hammer1600 mallet1600 scurvy1604 wither1648 speed1704 nostril dropping1708 bladdera1722 heartsick1725 throstling1726 striking1776 feather-cling1799 hollow-horn1805 weed1811 blood striking1815 the slows1822 toad-bit1825 coast-fever1840 horn-distemper1843 rat's tail1847 whethering1847 milk fever1860 milt-sickness1867 pearl tumour1872 actinomycosis1877 pearl disease1877 rat-tail1880 lumpy jaw1891 niatism1895 cripple1897 rumenitis1897 Rhodesian fever1903 reticulitis1905 barbone1907 contagious abortion1910 trichomoniasis1915 shipping fever1932 New Forest disease1954 bovine spongiform encephalopathy1987 BSE1987 mad cow disease1988 East Coast fever2009 1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iii. f. 132 This disease, as I take it, the countrey people call the Fowle, or the Wyspe. 1684 J. Smith Profit & Pleasure United 24. 1696 J. Aubrey Miscellanies 109 To Cure a Bullock, that hath the Wisp, (that is) Lame between the Clees. 1847 J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words II Whisp..Wisp. b. = stye n. (Cf. earlier and dialect west n.² and dial. wish.) ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of eye > [noun] > sty styanc1000 grandoa1400 styanyc1440 west1569 styea1625 chalazion1708 stithe1789 wisp1789 hordeolum1806 quat1876 meibomian cyst1895 1789 A. C. Bower Diaries & Corr. (1903) 57 I am blind in one Eye nearly from a Whisp on the Eye lid. 1888 B. Lowsley Gloss. Berks. Words & Phrases Stye, a ‘wisp’ on the eye. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1928; most recently modified version published online December 2021). wispn.³ Brit. /wɪsp/, U.S. /wɪsp/ Etymology: < wisp v. An act of wisping. a wisp down, a rub down with a wisp. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > [noun] > grooming of horses hostlership1627 rub1662 grooming1813 ostlering1838 wisp1844 1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm II. 180 They should give the horses a slight wisp down. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1928; most recently modified version published online December 2021). wispv. Brit. /wɪsp/, U.S. /wɪsp/ Forms: Also 1600s, 1800s whisp. Etymology: < wisp n.¹ 1. transitive. To rub (an animal, esp. a horse) down or over with a wisp. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > [verb (transitive)] > groom horse curryc1290 scrub13.. shruba1400 kembc1400 dress1510 to rub down1593 wispa1598 curry-comb1708 groom1809 strap1854 a1598 D. Fergusson Sc. Prov. (1641) sig. A3^v A fair bryde is soon buskt, and a short horse soone wispt. 1834 New Monthly Mag. 42 436 Wisp her and curry her, feed her and train her!..and what is she after all but a mule! 1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm II. 217 The whole body should then be wisped down with straw. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm II. 217 Of wisping and brushing, wisping is the more beneficial to the legs, where the hair is short. 1844 Queen's Regulations & Orders Army 351 They are to remain saddled.., time being allowed for wisping them over. 1856 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports ii. i. xi. §1. 361/1 Beginning with the head, which should be first brushed over, then well whisped with a handful of hay. †2. To put a twisted band of hay upon (the legs of a horse). Also with up. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > general equipment > [verb (transitive)] > hobble warlocka1400 langlec1440 hopple1586 impester1601 trammel1607 wisp1607 spancel1610 side-hankle1627 sidelanga1642 sidelangle1660 side-span1660 hamshackle1802 hobble1804 twitchel1826 sideline1837 span1847 heel1887 1607 G. Markham Cavelarice iv. 48 Hauing thus wispt al his foure legs,..you shall then mount vpon him [etc.]. 1639 T. de Gray Compl. Horseman i. v. 32 Whisp him up round with small whisps. 3. To twist into or as a wisp; dialect to rumple. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > curvature > coil > [verb (transitive)] > twist spirally writheOE wethe1398 wind1398 withe1398 turna1450 cralla1475 twirk1599 twirla1625 twire1628 twist1714 wisp1753 twistle1788 twizzle1788 screw1834 twistify1835 the world > relative properties > order > disorder > confusion or disorder > untidiness > make untidy [verb (transitive)] > tousle or rumple touslea1440 frumplea1529 ruffle1530 rouzle1582 touse1598 rumple1714 wisp1823 1753 W. Hogarth Anal. Beauty v. 28 The very same head of hair, wisp'd, and matted together, would make the most disagreeable figure. 1823 E. Moor Suffolk Words 487 Wisp is used with us, in the farther sense of rudely handling any delicate thing—‘Dont wisp it’. 1870 ‘Ouida’ Puck I. vi. 110 ‘Ye'r wispin' tha ribbon, ma dear,’ said Dick. 1880 Daily Tel. 2 Mar. 5/2 A cloth, degenerating into a rag, is wisped round his head. 4. intransitive. To pass away, as a wisp of vapour. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > invisibility > be or become invisible [verb (intransitive)] > vanish or disappear formeltc893 wendOE witea1000 aworthc1000 fleec1200 fleetc1200 withdraw1297 vanish1303 voidc1374 unkithea1400 startc1405 disappearc1425 disparishc1425 to fall awayc1443 evanish?a1475 vade1495 sinka1500 vade1530 fly1535 fadea1538 melt?1567 dispear1600 relinquish1601 foist1603 dispersea1616 to vanish (melt, etc.) into thin aira1616 dissipate1626 retire1647 evaporate1713 merge1802 illude1820 to foam off1826 dislimn1833 furl1844 to step out1844 evanesce1855 shade1880 wisp1883 to go to the winds1884 walk1898 to do a disappearing act1913 to go west1916 to do (or take) a fade1949 to phase out1970 1883 G. Meredith Poems & Lyrics 12 Whish! the phantom wisps away. 1898 G. W. Steevens With Kitchener to Khartum 278 Magically the rifles hushed, the stinging powder smoke wisped away. 5. intransitive. Of hair, etc.: to hang or twine in wisps. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > hair > types of hair > [verb (intransitive)] > wispy wisp1913 1913 W. de la Mare Peacock Pie 31 Topknot to love~curl The hair wisps down. 1976 ‘A. York’ Dark Passage iv. 56 Long, straight hair which wisped on her shoulders. Derivatives wisped adj. /wɪspt/ ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > styles of hair > [adjective] > in a specific style Frenched1762 stivereda1855 roached1856 wisped1922 marcel-waved1923 windswept1931 picky1935 Jesus1938 upswept1938 swept-up1948 bouffant1955 headphone1965 scraped-back1970 1922 A. S. M. Hutchinson This Freedom ii. ix. 164 Her face flushed; her hat awry; her hair escaped and wisped about her eyes. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1928; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.¹13..n.²1577n.³1844v.a1598
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wispn.1

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wispv.

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wispn.³