Wasp Definition

wŏsp, wôsp

wasps

noun

Any of various families of winged hymenopteran insects, characterized by a slender body with the abdomen attached by a narrow stalk, biting mouthparts, and, in the females and workers, a vicious sting that can be used repeatedly: some wasps, as the hornet, are characterized by a colonial or social organization.

Webster's New World

A white Protestant of Anglo-Saxon ancestry.

American Heritage

A person who belongs to or is thought of as being part of a white, upper middle-class, N European, Protestant group regarded as traditionally dominating economic, political, and cultural activity in the U.S.

Webster's New World

A member of Women's Airforce Service Pilots, organized during World War II as part of the US Army Air Forces to ferry aircraft and to test new aircraft. The organization was disbanded in 1944.

American Heritage

Any of many types of stinging flying insect resembling a hornet or bee.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Synonyms:
white Anglo-Saxon Protestant
hornet
bee
vespine
insect

Other Word Forms of Wasp

Noun

Singular:

wasp

Plural:

wasps

Origin of Wasp

From Old English wæsp, from Proto-Germanic *wepsō-, from Proto-Indo-European *wobÊ°sehâ‚‚ (“wasp"), from *webÊ°- (“weave") (referring to the insect's woven nests).

From Wiktionary
Originally an acronym for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant.

From Wiktionary
Middle English waspe from Old English wæps, wæsp

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From W(omen's) A(irforce) S(ervice) P(ilots)

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
W(hite) A(nglo-)S(axon) P(rotestant)

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition