wisp
A small bundle, as of straw or other like substanceA small bundle, as of straw or other like substance; a twisted handful of something; any slender, flexible structure or group.
» A wisp of smoke rose from the chimney.
Feiner Rauch stieg aus dem Schornstein auf.
Meaning
7 senses(countable, uncountable)A small bundle, as of straw or other like substance; a twisted handful of something; any slender, flexible structure or group.
A wisp of hair escaped her barrette and whipped wildly in the wind.
a wisp of a child
Haarbüschel, Strohbündel, Wisch
пучо́кpučók
віхотьvixotʹ
a small bundle of straw or hay
(countable, uncountable)A small, thin line of cloud, smoke, or steam.
A wisp of smoke rose from the candle for a few moments after he blew it out.
(countable, uncountable)A whisk, or small broom.
a small person
(countable, uncountable)A will o' the wisp, or ignis fatuus.
(countable, uncountable)An immeasurable, indefinable essence of life; soul.
(uncountable)A disease affecting the feet of cattle.
(archaic, collective, countable, uncountable)A flock of snipe.
a flock of snipe
Examples
7 sentencesA wisp of smoke rose from the chimney.
deFeiner Rauch stieg aus dem Schornstein auf.
A wisp of hair fell over his left eye.
Will-o'-the-wisps are glowing, ghost-like creatures.
deIrrlichter sind leuchtende, geisterhafte Wesen.
A solemn wisp of smoke rose from the shattered city.
Will-o'-the-wisp is the light phenomenon traditionally ascribed to ghosts.
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
From Middle English wispe, wyspe, wips, wipse, perhaps from an unrecorded Old English *wisFrom Middle English wispe, wyspe, wips, wipse, perhaps from an unrecorded Old English *wisp, *wips. Cognate with West Frisian wisp, Dutch wisp (“bundle of hay or straw”), Norwegian bokmål/Swedish/Bornholm Danish visp (“handful or bundle of grass, hay, etc.”). Akin also to Middle Dutch/Middle Low German wispel (“measure of grain”).
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Forms
plural: wispsWord family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable