wasp en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /wɒsp/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /wæsp/ (obsolete)
- /wɑsp/ (General-American)
- /waps/ African-American Vernacular
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- Proto-Indo-European *wóbʰseh₂ Proto-Germanic *wapsō Proto-West Germanic *wapsu Old English wæps Middle English wasp English wasp Inherited from Middle English wappes, waps, wasp, waspe, from Old English wæfs, wæps, wæsp, from Proto-West Germanic *wapsu, from Proto-Germanic *wapsō (“wasp”), from Proto-Indo-European *wóbʰseh₂ (“wasp”), from *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”), referring to the insect's woven nests. Cognates Cognate with North Frisian wesp (“wasp”), Saterland Frisian Häspe (“wasp”), West Frisian waps (“wasp”), Alemannic German Wespi (“wasp”), Bavarian Weps, Wepsn (“wasp”), Cimbrian bèspa (“wasp”), Dutch and Vilamovian wesp (“wasp”), German Wespe (“wasp”), Low German Weps, Wepse (“wasp”), Yiddish וועספּ (vesp), וועספּע (vespe, “wasp”), Danish hveps (“wasp”), Norwegian Bokmål veps (“wasp”), Norwegian Nynorsk kvefs (“wasp”); also Cornish goghi (“wasp”), Irish foich, foiche, puch (“wasp”), Welsh gwchi (“drone”), Latin vespa (“wasp”), Greek ανυφαίνω (anyfaíno), υφαίνω (yfaíno, “to weave”), Albanian vej (“to weave”), Latvian lapsene (“wasp”), Lithuanian vapsvà (“wasp”), Old Prussian wobse (“wasp”), Belarusian аса́ (asá, “wasp”), Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, and Ukrainian оса́ (osá, “wasp”), Czech vosa (“wasp”), Polish, Slovene, and Slovak osa (“wasp”), Serbo-Croatian о̀са, òsa (“wasp”), Armenian մոզ (moz, “a kind of fly that bites horses and cattle”), Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬡𐬲𐬀𐬐𐬀 (vaβžaka, “scorpion”), Central Kurdish مۆز (moz, “gadfly, horsefly”), Mazanderani ماز (mâz, “fly”), Northern Kurdish moz (“wasp; gadfly, horsefly; bee; bumblebee”), Persian بوز (bavz / bowz, “wasp”), Tocharian A wäp- (“to weave”), Tocharian B wāp- (“to weave”), Sanskrit उभ्नाति (ubhnāti, “to hurt, kill; to cover”). Metathesis of /s/ and /p/ was both a process of some generality within English (compare grasp from Middle English grapsen, and—affecting other plosives—ascian ~ acsian (“to ask”)) and common in the reflexes of *wóps-eh₂ (“wasp”) in particular, as the aforementioned Germanic cognates (and non-Germanic cognates like Latin vespa) evince.
Meanings
- Any of many types of stinging flying insect resembling a hornet.
- Any of the members of suborder Apocrita, excepting the ants (family Formicidae) and bees (clade Anthophila).
- Any of the members of suborder Apocrita, excepting the ants (family Formicidae) and bees (clade Anthophila). ▸ Any of the members of the family Vespidae.
- A person who behaves in an angry or insolent way, hence waspishly.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| waps | alternative | lexicographic | |
| wasps | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
wasp-waisted · chalcid wasp · Euro wasp · stephanid wasp · sand wasp · parasitoid wasp · Wasps Nest · ringed paper wasp · common wasp · mole cricket wasp · wasp beetle · mason wasp · tiphiid wasp · waspie · potter wasp · waspish · encyrtid wasp · digger wasp · waspy · bone-house wasp · social wasp · spider wasp · tarantula wasp · vespoid wasp · cockroach wasp · vespid wasp · sea wasp · German wasp · pollen wasp · ensign wasp · crown wasp · warrior wasp · jewel wasp · paper wasp · mutillid wasp · pelecinid wasp · ichneumon wasp · wasplike · honey wasp · gold wasp · two-spotted scoliid wasp · horse guard wasp · wasp moth · baeine wasp · median wasp · wasp-nest beetle · scelionid wasp · solitary wasp · soul-sucking wasp · platygastrid wasp · wood wasp · scolliid wasp · wasp waist · cuckoo wasp · oak rough bulletgall wasp · umbrella wasp · braconine wasp · wasp spider · leaf wasp · media wasp · fig wasp · gall wasp · spider-hunting wasp · mud wasp · red wasp · long-tailed wasp
Descendants
Translations (220)
sc espa (insect) · ota یابان آریسی (insect) · pal 𐭥𐭯𐭦 (insect) · sh zolja (insect) · fa گبت (insect) · yue 黃蜂 /黄蜂 (insect) · wym wesp (insect) · az eşşəkarısı (insect) · kpv зі (insect) · ovd djietingg (insect) · zro ahápaka (insect) · kmr pîzang (insect) · ja 雀蜂 (insect) · oc vèspa (insect) · el σφήκα (insect) · gv connspeagh (insect) · nn kvefs (insect) · fa زنبور (insect) · alt јер ару (insect) · pdt Willebie (insect) · tg ору (insect) · pal wabz (insect) · ccc shani (insect) · ga foiche (insect) · mhr пачемыш (insect) · cu оса (insect) · km ញាំង (insect) · lt širšė (insect) · lo ຕໍ່ (insect) · la dolichovespa (insect) · scn vespa (insect) · kl iguutilik (insect) · ca vespa (insect) · sl ôsa (insect) · ngh ǀʼoosi he ku ǃhui (insect) · cv сӑпса (insect) · sq anëz (insect) · he צִרְעָה (insect) · my နကျယ်ကောင် (insect) · wo njulli-kaata bi (insect) · bjn tabuan (insect) · sh о̀са (insect) · cy cacynen (insect) · eo vespo (insect) · rup ayeaspi (insect) · es avispa (insect) · th ตัวต่อ (insect) · lv lapsene (insect) · ht djèp (insect) · km តាហ៊រ (insect) · kk ара (insect) · fo vespa (insect) · yue 螞蜂 /蚂蜂 (insect) · be аса́ (insect) · rap manu patia (insect) · sv geting (insect) · sq grerëz (insect) · as বৰল (insect) · yue 胡蜂 (insect) · ltg lapsine (insect) · ms tebuan (insect) · kmr zirkêtk (insect) · cy gwenynen feirch (insect) · nds-de Wöps (insect) · se vievssis (insect) · liv vaps (insect) · ruq ghiaspi (insect) · vec bespa (insect) · ar دَبُّور (insect) · rm vespra (insect) · rup yiaspi (insect) · ce зӏуга (insect) · vec brespa (insect) · tg занбӯр (insect) · ru оса́ (insect) · hy կրետ (insect) · ang wæps (insect) · hi हड्डा (insect) · cy picwnen (insect) · fr guêpe (insect) · oj ᐋᒨ (insect) · mnc ᡧᡝᡧᡝᠮᡦᡝ (insect) · it vespa (insect) · xda murulgang (insect) · pl osa (insect) · cmn 黃蜂 /黄蜂 (insect) · uk оса́ (insect) · ga beach chapaill (insect) · ar زُنْبُور (insect) · ast aviéspora (insect) · nds-de Wösp (insect) · gd speach (insect) · zag bingbing (insect) · ja 蜂 (insect) · th ต่อ (insect) · sq greth (insect) · ckb زەردەواڵە (insect) · tl putakti (insect) · tl hinlulumbo (insect) · dsb wósa (insect) · af perdeby (insect) · ba һағыҙаҡ (insect) · nv tsísʼnáłtsooí (insect) · de Wespe (insect) · bo མདུང་སྦྲང (insect) · mi wāpi (insect) · nb veps (insect) · alt сары аару (insect) · cs vosa (insect) · vo vesep (insect) · gl nespra (insect) · fur viespe (insect) · kk жабайы ара (insect) · mrj потемшӹ (insect) · mfe mous zonn (insect) · ky аары (insect) · ko 말벌 (insect) · ro viespe (insect) · kl hvepsi (insect) · arz دبور (insect) · sc espe (insect) · ceb lampinig (insect) · tt шөпшә (insect) · id tawon (insect) · ka კრაზანა (insect) · pac plúh (insect) · la vespa (insect) · tr yaban arısı (insect) · evn дюгуктэ (insect) · krl ampujaini (insect) · kk сона (insect) · unm kwènhìkche (insect) · ary رزوزية (insect) · bg оса́ (insect) · hu darázs (insect) · fi ampiainen (insect) · pam tamumu (insect) · vec vespa (insect) · ur تتیا (insect) · et herilane (insect) · nl wesp (insect) · fur gjespe (insect) · yi וועספּ (insect) · wa wesse (insect) · mk о́са (insect) · pt vespa (insect) · kpv чушканзі (insect) · hnn akut-akot (insect) · sq grenzë (insect) · ast aviespa (insect) · mn шар зөгий (insect) · frp vépa (insect) · gv poogh (insect) · eu liztor (insect) · mn ᠰᠢᠷᠠ ᠵᠥᠭᠡᠢ (insect) · hsb wosa (insect) · gl avéspora (insect) · ht gèp (insect) · par woakuutsi (insect) · cmn 胡蜂 (insect) · sd ڏينڀُو (insect) · lt širšuolis (insect) · hi बरैया (insect) · sh зоља (insect) · pot amo (insect) · da hveps (insect) · uz ari (insect) · sk osa (insect) · kmr mozqirtik (insect) · tl lulumbo (insect) · izh vaapsahain (insect) · tzm ⵉⵕⵥⵥⵉ (insect) · par poihna (insect) · af wesp (insect) · gv shellan cabbyl (insect) · mn ᠮᠣᠷᠢᠨ ᠵᠥᠭᠡᠢ (insect) · ug ھەرە (insect) · pt marimbondo (insect) · rif iyarẓẓi (insect) · oj aamoo (insect) · bn বোলতা (insect) · yo agbọ́n (insect) · rm viaspra (insect) · ms penyengat (insect) · hi ततैया (insect) · vi ong bắp cày (insect) · inh зӏокмоза (insect) · gl avespa (insect) · fur jespe (insect) · ngh ǀxʼoosi ha ku ǃhoe (insect) · udm дуринчи (insect) · lt vapsva (insect) · vec ciospa (insect) · kw gohien (insect) · chn antʰiyeɬ (insect) · pms vespa (insect) · ga beach ghabhair (insect) · vo lubien (insect) · ka ბზიკი (insect) · lb Harespel (insect) · fwe èvù (insect) · sq arëz (insect) · tk ary (insect) · gu ભમરી (insect) · ny bavu (insect) · ml കടന്നൽ (insect) · ota زنبور (insect) · grc σφήξ (insect) · mn морин зөгий (insect) · sh òsa (insect) · is geitungur (insect) · rcf gèp (insect) · da gedehams (insect) · rup yeaspi (insect) · sah тигээйи (insect) · km ឪម៉ាល់ (insect) · lo ໂຕຕໍ່ (insect) · nn veps (insect) · bal گوبز (insect) · mt żunżan (insect)