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hornet

[ hawr-nit ]
/ ˈhɔr nÉȘt /
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noun
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.
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Origin of hornet

First recorded before 900; Middle English harnete, Old English hyrnet(u); cognate with Old High German hornaz (becoming German Horniss ); akin to horn
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hornet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hornet

hornet
/ (ˈhɔːnÉȘt) /

noun
any of various large social wasps of the family Vespidae, esp Vespa crabro of Europe, that can inflict a severe sting
hornet's nest a strongly unfavourable reaction (often in the phrase stir up a hornet's nest)

Word Origin for hornet

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 HeritageŸ Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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