Meaning of will-o'-the-wisp in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˌwɪləðəˈwɪsp/

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  1. Noun

    will-o'-the-wisp

    Etymology

    early 17th century: originally as Will with the wisp, the sense of wisp being ‘handful of (lighted) hay’

    Definitions

    1. a pale light sometimes seen at night over marshy ground
  2. 2. an illusion that misleads

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