wasp Synonyms & Antonyms

Wasp in a Sentence

a waspish temper

extremely waspish, she uses her wit viciously when irritated

Word Forms & Grammar

wasp·like adjective

wasp

wasplike

wasps

Wasp·dom noun

Wasp·ish adjective

Wasp·ish·ness noun

WASP

WASPs

Wasp

Waspdom

Waspdoms

Waspier

Waspiest

Waspish

Waspishness

Waspishnesses

Wasps

wasp·ish·ly adverb

wasp·ish·ness noun

waspish

waspishly

waspishness

waspishnesses

wasp (plural wasps)

wasp (third-person singular simple present wasps, present participle wasping, simple past and past participle wasped)

Origin of Wasp

Origin 1: Middle English waspe, from Old English wæps, wæsp; akin to Old High German wafsa wasp, Latin vespa wasp

Origin 2: white Anglo-Saxon Protestant

Origin 3: Inherited from Middle English wappes, waps, wasp, waspe, from Old English wæfs, wæps, wæsp, from Proto-West Germanic *wapsu, from Proto-Germanic *wapsō (“wasp”), from Proto-Indo-European *wóbʰseh₂ (“wasp”), from *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”), referring to the insect's woven nests.

First Known Use

before 12th century

1948

1566