- ignis fatuus (sense )
- any hope or goal that leads one on but is impossible to reach
Origin of will-o'-the-wisp
earlier Will with the wisp from Will (nickname for William) + wispwill-o'-the-wisp
will-o'-the-wispWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"Will-o\'-the-wisp." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Will-o-the-wisp.
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Will-o\'-the-wisp. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Will-o-the-wisp
will-o'-the-wisp
noun
- See ignis fatuus.
- A delusive or misleading hope.
Origin of will-o'-the-wisp
From Will nickname for WilliamTHE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"Will-o\'-the-wisp." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Will-o-the-wisp.
APA Style
Will-o\'-the-wisp. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Will-o-the-wisp
Noun
will-o'-the-wisp
- Alternative spelling of will o' the wisp.
Noun
(plural will o' the wisps)
- (idiomatic, British folklore) A strange light that attracts travellers from pathways into dangerous marshes or graveyards.
- (idiomatic) A delusional or otherwise unobtainable goal that one feels compelled to pursue.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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MLA Style
"Will-o\'-the-wisp." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Will-o-the-wisp.
APA Style
Will-o\'-the-wisp. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Will-o-the-wisp
