wood-spiritn.
/ˈwʊdˌspɪrɪt/, U.S. /ˈwʊdˌspɪrᵻt/ 1. Mythology. A spirit or imaginary being, fabled to dwell in or haunt woods.
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the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > fairy or elf > [noun] > nature-spirit > inhabiting woods or trees
man in the oak1584
wood-spirit1845
green man1907
tree-people1954
1845 C. H. J. Anderson Swedish Brothers 4 The Nipen, or wood-spirit was..said to haunt these woods.
1877 J. E. Carpenter tr. C. P. Tiele Outl. Hist. Relig. 184 The wood-spirits, Lyeshie, bear most resemblance in conception and character to Pan and the Satyrs.
1911 W. W. Fowler Relig. Exper. Rom. People x. 235 Diana was a wood-spirit, a tree-spirit.
2. Crude methyl alcohol obtained from wood by destructive distillation.
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society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > vegetable extracts or preparations > [noun] > wood-alcohol
wood naphtha1842
wood-spirit1842
wood-alcohol1861
1842 in Ure Revenue in Jeopardy (1843) 11 A sample of crude naphtha..the unrectified combustible liquid obtained from the distillation of wood,..imported from Scotland under the name of naphtha or wood-naphtha... It is named in Chemistry wood-spirit or pyroxylic spirit.
1854 E. Ronalds & T. Richardson Knapp's Chem. Technol. (ed. 2) I. 367 Wood-spirit is used to some extent..in place of alcohol, in spirit-lamps.
1887 A. H. Buck Ref. Handbk. Med. Sci. IV. 751/1 Methylic alcohol,..more popularly known under the several names of pyroligneous spirit, pyroxylic spirit, wood spirit, wood alcohol, and wood naphtha.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1928; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1842