ignis fatuus

ig·nis fat·u·us

I i

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [ig-nis fach-oo-uh s]
- /ˈɪg nɪs ˈfætʃ u əs/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [ig-nis fach-oo-uh s]
- /ˈɪg nɪs ˈfætʃ u əs/

Definitions of ignis fatuus words

noun plural ignis fatuus Also called friar's lantern, will-o'-the-wisp. a flitting phosphorescent light seen at night, chiefly over marshy ground, and believed to be due to spontaneous combustion of gas from decomposed organic matter. 1
noun plural ignis fatuus something deluding or misleading. 1
noun ignis fatuus jack-o'-lantern (sense 1) 0
noun ignis fatuus a deceptive hope, goal, or influence; delusion 0
noun ignis fatuus A will o' the wisp. 0
noun ignis fatuus (figuratively) A delusion, a false hope. 0

See all 6 definitions of ignis fatuus

Information block about the term

Origin of ignis fatuus

First appearance:

before 1555

One of the 31% oldest English words

1555-65; < Medieval Latin: literally, foolish fire

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Ignis fatuus

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Ignis fatuus

ignis fatuus popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 34% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 59% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

ignis fatuus usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for ignis fatuus

noun ignis fatuus

apparition — An apparition is someone you see or think you see but who is not really there as a physical being.
bubble — Bubbles are small balls of air or gas in a liquid.
chimera — A chimera is an unrealistic idea that you have about something or a hope that you have that is unlikely to be fulfilled.
confusion — If there is confusion about something, it is not clear what the true situation is, especially because people believe different things.
daydream — A daydream is a series of pleasant thoughts, usually about things that you would like to happen.

All 37 Synonyms of ignis fatuus