I. ˈwisp noun
also whisp ˈhwisp also ˈwisp
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English wisp, wips; perhaps akin to Old English wīpian to wipe — more at wipe
1.
a. : a small handful (as of hay or straw)
b. : something that resembles a wisp: as
(1) : a tenuous strip or fragment
a wisp of chiffon
roughly-chinked log-cabins … stood in a wisp of open — S.V.Benét
strange wisps of psychological jargon — Times Literary Supplement
(2) : a filamentous streak
a wisp of smoke or cloud
wisps of mist floated like trails of luminous dust — Joseph Conrad
(3) : something frail or fleeting
a delicate little wisp of an old lady — Century Magazine
a mere wisp of a smile — L.C.Douglas
(4) : will-o'-the-wisp
c. : a flock of birds (as snipe)
2. chiefly Britain
a. : a pad of twisted or plaited hay or straw for grooming the coat of an animal
b. : a twisted wreath or wad (as of straw or hemp) used as a buffer
c. : a thick twist of hay or straw used as a torch
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1. chiefly Britain
a. : to rub down or massage (as a horse) with a wisp
b. : crumple , twist
2. : to make or cover with wisps
a cigarette wisping smoke at the corner of his mouth — Raymond Chandler
the sky all wisped with mist — W.F.Wray
intransitive verb
: to emerge or drift in wisps
a thread of smoke wisping out of the funnel — William Wertenbaker
her hair began to wisp into her eyes — Mary Manning