wisp
wisp Lexical Profile
wisp Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small, thin, or twisted bunch, piece, or amount of something, such as hair, smoke, or cloud.
"A delicate wisp of smoke rose from the cottage chimney into the crisp morning air."
A person or thing that is frail, slight, or barely discernible.
"Once a towering figure in local politics, he was now a mere wisp of a man."
A small bundle of straw, hay, or twigs used for wiping, rubbing down horses, or lighting a fire.
"The stablehand used a twisted wisp of dry straw to rub down the mare's coat after the ride."
• verb
To move, curl, or drift lightly in thin, delicate strands (especially of smoke, mist, or hair).
"White mist wisped across the surface of the quiet lake at dawn."
To twist or gather into a small bundle, or to rub down (a horse) with a twisted bundle of straw.
"She wisped her damp hair into a loose knot at the nape of her neck."
• Rhymes for wisp
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English wisp ('small bundle of straw or hay'), likely related to Old Norse visk and Low German wisp, originally denoting a handful of straw twisted together for wiping or kindling.