hornet

[ hawr-nit ]
See synonyms for hornet on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any large, stinging paper wasp of the family Vespidae, as Vespa crabro(giant hornet ), introduced into the U.S. from Europe, or Vespula maculata(bald-faced hornet, or white-faced hornet ), of North America.

Origin of hornet

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English harnete, Old English hyrnet(u); cognate with Old High German hornaz (becoming German Horniss ); akin to horn

Words Nearby hornet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hornet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hornet

hornet

/ (ˈhɔːnɪt) /


noun
  1. any of various large social wasps of the family Vespidae, esp Vespa crabro of Europe, that can inflict a severe sting

  2. hornet's nest a strongly unfavourable reaction (often in the phrase stir up a hornet's nest)

Origin of hornet

1
Old English hyrnetu; related to Old Saxon hornut, Old High German hornuz

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with hornet

hornet

see mad as a hornet; stir up a hornet's nest.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.