wood spirit

American  

noun

1. methyl alcohol.

2. (especially in folklore) a supernatural, incorporeal being believed to inhabit the forest.

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wood spirit British  

noun

1. chem another name for methanol

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Etymology

Origin of wood spirit

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

“I’ve got a crystal ball, and I’ve got a wood spirit hanging in my office,” head coach Mike Zimmer said.

From Washington Times • Jan. 1, 2018

She moved through the trees as quickly as a wood spirit.

From "The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman

Commonly known as "wood spirit," this is so unpleasant that it renders the mixture of no use for drinking, and so it can safely be freed from taxation.

From Marvels of Scientific Invention An Interesting Account in Non-technical Language of the Invention of Guns, Torpedoes, Submarine Mines, Up-to-date Smelting, Freezing, Colour Photography, and many other recent Discoveries of Science by Corbin, Thomas W.

Or sometimes again she is like a wood spirit, or an elemental creature such as was Undine.

From A History of English Romanticism in the Nineteenth Century by Beers, Henry A. (Henry Augustin)

In northern Europe the wood spirit, Ljesche, is believed to have a goat's horns, ears and legs.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Part 1, Slice 1 by Various