wasp

[ wosp ]

/ wɒsp /

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.

QUIZZES

Fend Off Sciolism With This Word Of The Day Quiz

Are you the Cinderella of this week’s quiz? Test your memory on the words and definitions from March 23–29.

Question 1 of 7

schlep

to say or do hesitantly or awkwardly

to fold or wind around something

to carry; lug

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

wasp·like, adjective

Words nearby wasp

washup, washwoman, washy, wasim akram, wasn't, wasp, wasp waist, waspish, wasps, the, waspy, wassail

Definition for wasps (2 of 4)

WASP¹

[ wosp ]

/ wɒsp /

noun

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

Definition for wasps (3 of 4)

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

Waspy.

Origin of WASP

First recorded in 1955–60

Definition for wasps (4 of 4)

Wasps, The

noun

a satirical comedy (422 b.c.) by Aristophanes.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for wasps

Roger Hamley came riding over one day with a note from his mother, and a wasps'-nest as a present from himself.
Wives and Daughters|Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
There is a buzzing and a humming and a stinging throughout the 'Wasps.'
Library Of The World's Best Literature, Ancient And Modern, Vol. 2|Charles Dudley Warner

British Dictionary definitions for wasps (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 wasps (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 wasps

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.