noun
whatsit
noun
1
An informal name for a thing whose actual name you can't recall or don't want to say.
"Hand me the whatsit on the shelf, the little metal clip."
How to Use Whatsit
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA casual filler word for "thing" when its proper name escapes you.
When to use it
Informal, spoken English — a close cousin of "whatchamacallit" and "thingamajig."
Word Forms
whatsits plural
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Hand me the _____ on the shelf, the little metal clip.
Etymology
A run-together form of the phrase "what is it," used as a stand-in for an unnamed object.