waspish en · ADJ
Pronunciation
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 Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-isk Old English -isċ Middle English -isch English -ish English waspish From wasp + -ish.
Meanings
- Suggestive of the behaviour of a wasp.
-
(figuratively) Spiteful or irascible.
Svveet Hony-Comb, don't be ſo VVaſpiſh: […]
1702, [Colley] Cibber, She Wou’d, and She Wou’d Not, or The Kind Impostor. A Comedy. […], London: […] William Turner […], and John Nutt, […], published 1703, →OCLC, Act III, page 30:Always, he radiated an air of soigné self-confidence: he could be amiable in his opinions or waspish, but he never betrayed a flicker of doubt about what he thought.
1997, Henry Louis Gates Jr., “The Passing of Anatole Broyard”, in Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Man, New York: Random House, page 181:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most waspish | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more waspish | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Translations (10)
da hvas (spiteful or irascible) · fi äkäinen (spiteful or irascible) · da skarp (spiteful or irascible) · bg раздразнен (spiteful or irascible) · da giftig (spiteful or irascible) · bg ядосан (spiteful or irascible) · grc σφήκειος (suggestive of the behaviour of a wasp) · fr grincheux (spiteful or irascible) · ga colgach (spiteful or irascible) · fi ampiaismainen (suggestive of the behaviour of a wasp)