will-o'-the-wisp

American  

[wil-uh-thuh-wisp] / ˈwɪl ə ðəˈwɪsp /

noun

1. ignis fatuus.

2. anything that deludes or misleads by luring on.

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will-o'-the-wisp British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• will-o'-the-wispish
  adjective
• willo'-the-wispish
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of will-o'-the-wisp

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

Example Sentences

More myths would have surrounded the eerie blue glow of will-o'-the-wisp – methane from peat beds burning over the top of the marshes.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2024

Instead, for some reason, he followed Javy Báez down the line, as if Javy Báez was a will-o’-the-wisp.

From Slate • May 27, 2021

The film is, as promised, something very special: a careworn, will-o’-the-wisp road movie, contained within a memory that may or may not be imagined.

From The Guardian • Aug. 24, 2019

In fairness to Itzkoff, it’s this very will-o’-the-wisp quality that makes Williams a tricky man to pin down.

From New York Times • May 15, 2018

“What did I do, Jane? I transformed myself into a will-o’-the-wisp.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë