WASP

¹

[ wosp ]

noun

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

WASP

²

or Wasp

[ wosp ]

noun

1. a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant.
2. a member of the privileged, established white upper middle class in the U.S.

adjective

1. Waspy.

wasp

³

[ wosp ]

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.

Wasp

¹

/ wɒsp /

acronym for

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

wasp

²

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

WASP

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.

Derived Forms

• ˈWaspy, adjective
• ˈwaspiness, noun
• ˈwaspy, adjective
• ˈwaspily, adverb
• ˈwaspˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• wasplike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of WASP¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Origin of WASP²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of WASP¹

Old English wæsp; related to Old Saxon waspa, Old High German wefsa, Latin vespa

Example Sentences

They were called La Red Avispa (The Wasp Network) and claim to have successfully foiled a number of threats against the island.

From The Daily Beast

I was like, “In what world do I look like I would play the WASP-y wife?”

From The Daily Beast

We later learn that the model, who is the heroine, is a Connecticut Wasp disappointed in her arrival in the big city.

From The Daily Beast

In his memoir, Belfort describes Danny Porush (the real Azoff) as a Jewish Long Islander with WASP pretensions.

From The Daily Beast

A WASP-y Smith alumna named Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) has a lesbian affair after college.

From The Daily Beast

Soon after he had some lively service in the Wasp, and captured a British privateer with the little sloop Sachem.

From Project Gutenberg

Of the 110 men on the Frolic there were not twenty alive and unhurt, while on the Wasp only five were dead and five wounded.

From Project Gutenberg

The game was up with the Wasp and her prize, for the new ship was the Poictiers, a great seventy-four ship-of-the-line.

From Project Gutenberg

The honey in this pot was once a wasp's nest, but since being transformed it has become sweet and delicious.

From Project Gutenberg

The first thing the Wasp found at sea was a mighty gale of wind, that blew "great guns" for two days.

From Project Gutenberg