Where does “WASP” come from?

WASP (English) comes from Middle English wasp, from Old English wæps, from Proto-West Germanic wapsu, from Proto-Germanic wepsō-, from Proto-Indo-European wobʰséh₂, from Proto-Indo-European webʰ- — to weave, braid.

WASP (English): A member of the dominant American upper-class...

Definitions

  1. A member of the dominant American upper-class...

Ancestry of “WASP”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwaspwasp
2Old Englishwæpsa wasp
3Proto-West Germanicwapsuwasp
4Proto-Germanicwepsō-—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwobʰséh₂wasp
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwebʰ-to weave, braid

Words derived from “WASP”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European webʰ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wobʰséh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic wepsō- →