---
title: wisp — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «wisp» in the school dictionary: A wisp is a thin, light piece or strand of something: a wisp of hair, a wisp of grass. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# wisp

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** wisp, small amount, strange faint light, She, old man, bird · **What happens:** be, drift, float, say, lead, rise · **To what, where:** thin light piece, thin line, air, small thin person, strange faint light, marshes · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«wisp» in the school dictionary: its 4 meanings for a pupil and its 6 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [wisp in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/wisp.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A wisp is a thin, light piece or strand of something: a wisp of hair, a wisp of grass.

<!-- fold The tree, 19 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wisp:m1:1
# text = A wisp is a thin, light piece or strand of something: a wisp of hair, a wisp of grass.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	wisp	wisp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
5	thin	thin	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
7	light	light	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	piece	piece	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
9	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	strand	strand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	conj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	15	punct	_	_
14	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	wisp	wisp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	appos	_	_
16	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
17	hair	hair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	20	punct	_	_
19	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
20	wisp	wisp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	conj	_	_
21	of	of	ADP	IN	_	22	case	_	_
22	grass	grass	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a wisp | a thin light piece or strand of something |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A wisp of smoke, cloud or steam is a thin line or small amount drifting in the air.

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wisp:m2:1
# text = A wisp of smoke, cloud or steam is a thin line or small amount drifting in the air.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	wisp	wisp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	smoke	smoke	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
6	cloud	cloud	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	_
7	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	steam	steam	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	thin	thin	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	line	line	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
13	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
14	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	amount	amount	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	conj	_	_
16	drifting	drift	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	15	acl	_	_
17	in	in	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
18	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
19	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	12	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a wisp of smoke and cloud or steam | a thin line or small amount |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **drift** | gerund | small amount *not said here* |  |  | the air |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in air=Trajectory |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: informal — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A wisp of a person is a small, thin person.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wisp:m3:1
# text = A wisp of a person is a small, thin person.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	wisp	wisp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
8	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
10	thin	thin	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	11	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a wisp of a person | a small thin person |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A will-o'-the-wisp is a strange, faint light that floats over marshes at night and is said to lead travellers astray.

<!-- fold The tree, 23 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wisp:m4:1
# text = A will-o'-the-wisp is a strange, faint light that floats over marshes at night and is said to lead travellers astray.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
2	will	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	o	of	ADP	IN	Abbr=Yes	9	case	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	'	'	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	wisp	wisp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	_
10	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	cop	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
12	strange	strange	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
14	faint	faint	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	light	light	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
16	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	17	nsubj	_	_
17	floats	float	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	acl:relcl	_	_
18	over	over	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
19	marshes	marsh	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	17	obl	_	_
20	at	at	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
21	night	night	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	obl	_	_
22	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	24	cc	_	_
23	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	24	aux:pass	_	_
24	said	say	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	17	conj	_	_
25	to	to	PART	TO	_	26	mark	_	_
26	lead	lead	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	24	xcomp	_	_
27	travellers	traveller	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	26	obj	_	_
28	astray	astray	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	26	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
29	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	15	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a wisp | a strange faint light |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **float** | present | a strange faint light |  |  | marshes | night |  | vn run-51.3.2-2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme over marsh=Trajectory |
| 3 | **say** *speech: assert* | present · passive | a strange faint light *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V how S\_INF»: clause=Topic |
| 4 | **lead** | to-infinitive | a strange faint light *not said here* | travellers |  |  |  | astray *property* | vn accompany-51.7 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent traveller=Theme |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A wisp of smoke rose from the candle.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wisp:x1:1
# text = A wisp of smoke rose from the candle.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	wisp	wisp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	smoke	smoke	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	rose	rise	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	candle	candle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **rise** | past | a wisp of smoke |  |  | the candle |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme from candle=Initial\_Location |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She pushed a wisp of hair out of her eyes.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wisp:x2:1
# text = She pushed a wisp of hair out of her eyes.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	pushed	push	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	wisp	wisp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	hair	hair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
7	out	out	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	eyes	eye	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **push** | past | She | a wisp of hair |  | her eyes |  |  | vn funnel-9.3-1-1 «NP V NP PP.trajectory»: agent=Agent wisp=Theme out eye=Trajectory |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Wispy clouds floated high in the blue sky.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wisp:x3:1
# text = Wispy clouds floated high in the blue sky.
1	Wispy	wispy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	clouds	cloud	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
3	floated	float	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	high	high	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	blue	blue	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	sky	sky	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **float** | participle |  | Wispy clouds *not said here* |  | the blue sky |  | high *property* | vn run-51.3.2-2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in sky=Trajectory |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Only a wisp of steam came from the cup.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wisp:x4:1
# text = Only a wisp of steam came from the cup.
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	wisp	wisp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	steam	steam	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
6	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	cup	cup	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **come** | past | a wisp of steam |  |  | the cup |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme from cup=Initial\_Location |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The old man had a few wispy white hairs.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wisp:x5:1
# text = The old man had a few wispy white hairs.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
6	few	few	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
7	wispy	wispy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
8	white	white	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	hairs	hair	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | past | the old man | a few wispy white hairs |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent hair=Patient |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The bird carried a wisp of straw to its nest.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wisp:x6:1
# text = The bird carried a wisp of straw to its nest.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	carried	carry	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	wisp	wisp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	straw	straw	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
8	to	to	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	nest	nest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **carry** | past | the bird | a wisp of straw |  | bird's nest |  |  | vn carry-11.4 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent wisp=Theme to nest=Destination |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
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