will-o'-the-wisp

[ wil-uh-thuh-wisp ]
See synonyms for will-o'-the-wisp on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. anything that deludes or misleads by luring on.

Origin of will-o'-the-wisp

1
1600–10; originally Will (i.e., William) with the wisp;see wisp

Other 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 Provost
  • No 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 England
  • My dungeon is lighted by the will-o-the-wisp alone; no breath of spring cheers the murky solitude in which I dwell.

  • For 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. Braddon
  • She slipped into a serviceable and grubby pair of overalls, and spent the afternoon in giving Will-o-the-Wisp a thorough grooming.

British Dictionary definitions for will-o'-the-wisp

will-o'-the-wisp

/ (ˌwɪləðəˈwɪsp) /


noun
  1. 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

  2. a person or thing that is elusive or allures and misleads

Origin of will-o'-the-wisp

1
C17: originally Will with the wisp, from Will short for William and wisp in former sense of a twist of hay or straw burning as a torch

Derived 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