wisp

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a small, thin strand or tuft of hair, grass, or similar material

   A wisp of hair had escaped from beneath her hat.

2. 2
   noun

   a faint, narrow trace of smoke, cloud, mist, or vapor

   A final wisp of smoke rose from the extinguished candle.

3. 3
   noun

   a small loose bundle of straw, hay, or other flexible material

   She twisted a wisp of straw into a makeshift brush.

Common collocations

• mere wisp Adjective + noun

From Middle English wispe, wyspe, wips, and wipse, perhaps from an unattested Old English form. It is cognate with West Frisian and Dutch wisp ("bundle of hay or straw") and Scandinavian forms meaning a small bundle of grass or hay.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images