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

The team also measured sulfur dioxide, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide -- and found WASP-107 b has more heavy elements than Uranus and Neptune.

From Science Daily

An international team of researchers has successfully used NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to map the weather on the hot gas-giant exoplanet WASP-43 b.

From Science Daily

"As with other stars orbited by exoplanets, the observed light curve of WASP-39 is flatter than previous models can explain," she adds.

From Science Daily

She tried out for the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPS, and was accepted into the flight training program.

From Scientific American