vespine

American

[ves-pahyn, -pin] / ˈvɛs paɪn, -pɪn /

adjective

of or relating to wasps.
resembling a wasp.

vespine British

/ ˈvɛspaɪn /

adjective

of, relating to, or resembling a wasp or wasps

"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

Etymology

Origin of vespine

First recorded in 1835–45; from Latin vesp(a) “wasp” + -ine adjective suffix; see origin at wasp + -ine ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He is no space marine fighting off a horde of vespine aliens, but, rather, a humble, pudge-faced engineer making his way through a massive spaceship for initial reasons no grander than repair.

From Slate • Feb. 1, 2011

When the winter comes all the larvae are massacred, and the whole vespine city ends in a horrible tragedy.

From Fabre, Poet of Science by Miall, Bernard

Let us return to Fabre's laboratory, to the covers of wire-gauze, and note what becomes, at the approach of winter, of the survivors of the vespine city.

From Fabre, Poet of Science by Miall, Bernard

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023