will-o'-the-wisp
anything that deludes or misleads by luring on.
Origin of will-o'-the-wisp
1Other words from will-o'-the-wisp
- willo'-the-wispish; especially British, willo'-the-wispy, adjective
Words Nearby will-o'-the-wisp
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use will-o'-the-wisp in a sentence
And suddenly Guncotton produced his will-o-the-wisp trick, which completed the illusion.
My Austrian Love | Maxime ProvostNo charted coast, no lights but love-light, an that most always turns out to be a will-o-the-wisp, that piles ye up on the rocks.
Cursed | George Allan EnglandMy dungeon is lighted by the will-o-the-wisp alone; no breath of spring cheers the murky solitude in which I dwell.
A History of Chinese Literature | Herbert A. GilesFor what a Will-o-the-wisp are you ready to sacrifice my regard, and all the privileges of your position as my granddaughter!
Phantom Fortune, A Novel | M. E. BraddonShe slipped into a serviceable and grubby pair of overalls, and spent the afternoon in giving Will-o-the-Wisp a thorough grooming.
Dorothy Dixon and the Mystery Plane | Dorothy Wayne
British Dictionary definitions for will-o'-the-wisp
/ (ˌwɪləðəˈwɪsp) /
Also called: friar's lantern, ignis fatuus, jack-o'-lantern a pale flame or phosphorescence sometimes seen over marshy ground at night. It is believed to be due to the spontaneous combustion of methane or other hydrocarbons originating from decomposing organic matter
a person or thing that is elusive or allures and misleads
Origin of will-o'-the-wisp
1Derived forms of will-o'-the-wisp
- will-o'-the-wispish or will-o'-the-wispy, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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