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wisp

(wĭsp)

1. A small bunch or bundle, as of straw, hair, or grass.

a. One that is thin, frail, or slight: "a little wisp of a kid, ten years old" (William Lychack).

b. A thin or faint streak or fragment, as of smoke or clouds.

3. A fleeting trace or indication; a hint: a wisp of a smile.

4. A flock of birds, especially snipe.

5. See ignis fatuus.

v. wisped, wisp·ing, wisps

v.tr.

To twist into wisps or a wisp.

v.intr.

To drift in wisps: smoke wisping from chimneys.

[Middle English.]

wispi·ly adv.

wispi·ness (wĭspē-nĭs) n.

wispy adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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