Where does “will o' the wisp” come from?
will o' the wisp (English) comes from English Will, from English william, from Middle English William, from Anglo-Norman Willame, from Old High German Willahelm, from Old High German helm, from Proto-West Germanic helm, from Proto-Germanic helmaz — to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab.
will o' the wisp (English): Any of several kinds of pale, flickering light, appearing over marshland in many parts of the world with diverse folkloric explanations and multiple possible scientific explanations including bioluminescence and chemiluminescence
Definitions
- Any of several kinds of pale, flickering light, appearing over marshland in many parts of the world with diverse folkloric explanations and multiple possible scientific explanations including bioluminescence and chemiluminescence
Ancestry of “will o' the wisp”, step by step
will o' the wisp traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English Will
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Will | A weak-side linebacker |
| 2 | English | william | radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter W |
| 3 | Middle English | William | — |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | Willame | — |
| 5 | Old High German | Willahelm | William |
| 6 | Old High German | helm | helmet |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | helm | helmet |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | helmaz | helmet |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | halmaz | halm; stem; stalk; straw; hay |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱolh₂mos | stalk |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱelh₂- | to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab |
via English The
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | The | Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun |
| 2 | Middle English | þe | the; Second-person singular pronoun indicating a... |
| 3 | Middle English | in | Any kind of accomodation; particularly; A home or... |
| 4 | Old English | inn | in; inn |
| 5 | Old English | inne | inside, in; indoors |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | innai | within, inside |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | in | in; into |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | én | in |