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- Dictionarywill-o'-the-wisp/ˌwɪləðəˈwɪsp/
noun
- 1. a phosphorescent light seen hovering or floating at night on marshy ground, thought to result from the combustion of natural gases.
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In folklore, a will-o'-the-wisp, will-o'-wisp, or ignis fatuus (Latin for 'foolish flame'; pl. ignes fatui), is an atmospheric ghost light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes.
something that is impossible to get or achieve: Full employment is the will-o'-the-wisp that politicians have been chasing for decades. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Unachievable. be (a) no go idiom. be on a hiding to nothing idiom. be on the road to nowhere idiom. be out of your league idiom. cat. ghost. goodbye. impossibility.
The will-o'-the-wisp is a flame-like phosphorescence caused by gases from decaying plants in marshy areas. In olden days, it was personified as "Will with the wisp," a sprite who carried a fleeting "wisp" of light.
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.
Will-o'-the-wisp definition: ignis fatuus (def. 1). . See examples of WILL-O'-THE-WISP used in a sentence.
A will-o'-the-wisp or ignis fatuus (Medieval Latin: "foolish fire") is a ghostly light. It is seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes. Usually will o' the wisp looks like a ball of light or a small flame.
Definition of will-o’-the-wisp noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
IPA guide. Definitions of will-o'-the-wisp. noun. a pale light sometimes seen at night over marshy ground. synonyms: friar's lantern, ignis fatuus, jack-o'-lantern. see more. noun. an illusion that misleads. synonyms: ignis fatuus.
noun. Also calledfriar's lanternignis fatuusjack-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.
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
