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

Now a recent study in the journal Nature Astronomy reveals something new and enigmatic about WASP-107 b.

From Salon

Although most planets have relatively even atmospheres, WASP-107 b's is a few hundred meters taller on one side than on the other.

From Salon

"For example, more detailed cloud or haze models, especially ones focused on specific species, may affect the shapes differently or even induce relative slopes across the spectra. Disentangling these details will require more observations over a wider wavelength coverage as well as much more complex multi-dimensional modelling. Nevertheless, our results show that recovering the separate properties of a transiting exoplanet’s morning and evening terminators is possible, and that WASP-107 b exhibits significant morning-to-evening asymmetry."

From Salon

For his part, Murphy is optimistic that the scientists behind the latest set of discoveries are up to the challenge of cracking more of the mysteries behind WASP-107 b and other far away exoplanets.

From Salon

"That's right - scare a wasp and it might call for back-up."

From BBC