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wasp

[ wosp ]
/ wɒsp /
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noun
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.
a person who is snappish or petulant.
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Origin of wasp

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

OTHER WORDS FROM wasp

wasplike, adjective

Other definitions for wasp (2 of 3)

WASP1
[ wosp ]
/ wɒsp /

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

Other definitions for wasp (3 of 3)

WASP2

or Wasp

[ wosp ]
/ wɒsp /
Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive.

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

Origin of WASP

2
First recorded in 1955–60
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wasp in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wasp (1 of 2)

wasp
/ (wɒsp) /

noun
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 stingingSee also potter wasp, hornet Related adjective: vespine
any of various solitary hymenopterans, such as the digger wasp and gall wasp

Derived forms of wasp

wasplike, adjectivewaspy, adjectivewaspily, adverbwaspiness, noun

Word Origin for wasp

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

British Dictionary definitions for wasp (2 of 2)

Wasp

WASP

/ (wɒsp) /

n acronym for (in the US)
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

Derived forms of Wasp

Waspy, adjective
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

Cultural definitions for wasp

WASP

An acronym for “white Anglo-Saxon Protestant” — a member of what many consider to be the most privileged and influential group in American society.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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