vespine
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to wasps.
-
resembling a wasp.
adjective
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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
