WASP

¹ American  

[wosp] / wɒsp /

Or Wasp

noun

1. a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant.

2. a member of the privileged, established white upper middle class in the U.S.

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adjective

1. Waspy.

wasp ² American  

[wosp] / wɒsp /

noun

1. any of numerous social or solitary hymenopterous insects of the Vespidae, Sphecidae, and allied families, generally having a long, slender body and narrow waist and, in the female, a stinger.

2. a person who is snappish or petulant.

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WASP ³ American  

[wosp] / wɒsp /

noun

1. a member of the Women's Air Force Service Pilots, an organization disbanded in 1944.

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wasp ¹ British  

/ wɒsp /

noun

1. any social hymenopterous insect of the family Vespidae, esp Vespula vulgaris ( common wasp ), typically having a black-and-yellow body and an ovipositor specialized for stinging See also potter wasp hornet

2. any of various solitary hymenopterans, such as the digger wasp and gall wasp

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Wasp ² British  

/ wɒsp /

acronym

1. White Anglo-Saxon Protestant: a person descended from N European, usually Protestant stock, forming a group often considered the most dominant, privileged, and influential in American society

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WASP Cultural  

1. An acronym for “w hite A nglo-S axon P rotestant” — a member of what many consider to be the most privileged and influential group in American society.

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Other Word Forms

• Waspy adjective
• waspily adverb
• waspiness noun
• wasplike adjective
• waspy adjective

Etymology

Origin of WASP¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Origin of wasp¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English waspe, Old English wæsp, metathetic variant of wæps, itself variant of wæfs; cognate with Dutch wesp, German Wespe; akin to Latin vespa

Example Sentences

Van Veen tried to get himself going with a 137 to start the fifth, but the only thing that threatened to knock Littler off his stride was the return of the Ally Pally wasp.

From BBC

The Alexandra Palace wasp is back - but where are they coming from?

From BBC

Some bees, wasps, and ants deliver extremely painful but non-lethal stings, while others inflict minimal pain despite possessing highly toxic venom.

From Science Daily

She perched her hands on either side of her enormous middle as if showing off a tiny wasp waist.

From Literature

He put on his cowboy hat, apologized for the pile of dead wasps on his office floor — the infestations barely register anymore — and walked over to the high school.

From Salon