wisp
part of speech
noun (a wisp, wisps); adjective wispy (wispy, wispier, wispiest)
meaning for a pupil
1) A wisp is a thin, light piece or strand of something: a wisp of hair, a wisp of grass. tree →
2) A wisp of smoke, cloud or steam is a thin line or small amount drifting in the air. tree →
3) (informal) A wisp of a person is a small, thin person. tree →
4) A will-o'-the-wisp is a strange, faint light that floats over marshes at night and is said to lead travellers astray. tree →
sense in the lessons
Interpretation: In the Sefer Yetzirah translation, "wisp" is offered as a way to render ruach, the Hebrew word meaning wind, spirit and breath, which the book treats as the first stage of creation. In the primary lessons: In stories and descriptions, wisps of smoke curl from chimneys, wisps of cloud float in the sky, wisps of hair blow in the wind; it gives a soft, light picture. In science, wispy clouds high in the sky are called cirrus. Phrases: a wisp of smoke, a wisp of hair, wispy clouds.
examples
- Perhaps capturing an intermediary concept between the immaterial divine imminence and the material wind is ‘wisp’, meaning both a small breeze and a phantom presence, but ‘Holy Wisp’ is a rather underwhelming expression. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →
- A wisp of smoke rose from the candle. tree →
- She pushed a wisp of hair out of her eyes. tree →
- Wispy clouds floated high in the blue sky. tree →
- Only a wisp of steam came from the cup. tree →
- The old man had a few wispy white hairs. tree →
- The bird carried a wisp of straw to its nest. tree →
note
Plural: wisps. Adjective: wispy. Similar: strand, thread, puff. A «will-o'-the-wisp» is a strange light seen over marshes in old stories — and something you can never catch.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «wisp» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.