will-o’-the-wisp
noun/ˌwɪl ə ðə ˈwɪsp/
/ˌwɪl ə ðə ˈwɪsp/
[usually singular]- a thing that is impossible to obtain; a person that you cannot depend on
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- a blue light that is sometimes seen at night on soft, wet ground and is caused by natural gases burning
Word Originearly 17th cent.: originally as Will with the wisp, the sense of wisp being ‘handful of (lighted) hay’.
Check pronunciation:
will-o’-the-wisp