wisp

/wɪsp/
noun
  1. A small, thin, or delicate piece or amount of something, such as smoke, hair, or grass.
    • She tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear.
    • The field was covered with wisps of dry grass.
    • A wisp of smoke rose from the chimney.
  2. A person who is very thin or delicate.
    • He looked like a wisp in his oversized coat.
    • The little girl was a tiny wisp, barely visible in the crowd.
    • After her illness, she was just a wisp of her former self.
  3. A faint or fleeting trace or hint of something.
    • There was a wisp of a smile on her face.
    • A wisp of doubt crept into his mind.
    • I caught a wisp of a memory from my childhood.