Ignis fatuus — Ig nis fat u*us; pl. {Ignes fatui}. [L. ignis fire + fatuus foolish. So called in allusion to its tendency to mislead travelers.] 1. A phosphorescent light that appears, in the night, over marshy ground, supposed to be occasioned by the… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
ignis fatuus — [ig′nis fach′o͞o əs] n. pl. ignes fatui [ig′nēz fach′o͞o ī΄] [ML < L ignis, a fire + fatuus, foolish] 1. JACK O LANTERN (sense 1) 2. a deceptive hope, goal, or influence; delusion … English World dictionary
Ignis fatŭus — (lat.), soviel wie Irrlicht … Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon
ignis fatuus — (n.) will o the wisp, jack a lantern, 1560s, from M.L., lit. foolish fire; see IGNEOUS (Cf. igneous) + FATUOUS (Cf. fatuous) … Etymology dictionary
ignis fatuus — /ˌɪgnɪs ˈfætʃuəs/ (say .ignis fachoohuhs) noun (plural ignes fatui /ˌɪgniz ˈfætʃuaɪ/ (say .igneez fachoohuy)) 1. a flitting phosphorescent light seen at night, chiefly over marshy ground, and supposedly due to spontaneous combustion of gas from… …
ignis fatuus — noun (plural ignes fatui) Etymology: Medieval Latin, literally, foolish fire Date: 1563 1. a light that sometimes appears in the night over marshy ground and is often attributable to the combustion of gas from decomposed organic matter 2. a… … New Collegiate Dictionary
ignis fatuus — /ig nis fach ooh euhs/, pl. ignes fatui /ig neez fach ooh uy /. 1. 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… … Universalium
ignis fatuus — Synonyms and related words: airy nothing, autism, autoluminescence, backfire, balefire, beacon, beacon fire, bioluminescence, blaze, bonfire, bubble, burning ghat, campfire, cathode luminescence, cheerful fire, chemicoluminescence,… … Moby Thesaurus
ignis fatuus — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) Lat., will o the wisp. See insubstantiality. II (Roget s Thesaurus II) noun An erroneous perception of reality: delusion, hallucination, illusion, mirage, phantasm, phantasma, will o the wisp. See REAL … English dictionary for students
ignis fatuus — ig·nis fat·u·us || ‚ɪgnɪs‚fætʃʊs phosphorous light which hovers over the ground in marshy areas; something delusive or misleading (from Latin foolish fire ) … English contemporary dictionary
