wisp: Meaning and Definition of

wisp

Pronunciation: (wisp), [key]
— n.
  1. a handful or small bundle of straw, hay, or the like.
  2. any thin tuft, lock, mass, etc.: wisps of hair.
  3. a thin puff or streak, as of smoke; slender trace.
  4. a person or thing that is small, delicate, or barely discernible: a mere wisp of a lad; a wisp of a frown.
  5. a whisk broom.
    1. a pad or twist of straw, as used to rub down a horse.
    2. a twisted bit of straw used as a torch.
  6. a will-o'-the-wisp or ignis fatuus.
—v.t.
  1. to twist into a wisp.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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