Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wasp” come from?

Wasp comes from Middle English wæsp, from Old English wæsp, from Proto-Indo-European wobʰseh₂, derived from the root webʰ-.

wasp (English): Any of many types of stinging flying insect...

Definitions

  1. Any of many types of stinging flying insect...

Ancestry of “wasp”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwaspeAlternative form of wasp
2Old EnglishwæspAlternative form of wæps
3Old Englishwæpsa wasp
4Proto-West Germanicwapsuwasp
5Proto-Germanicwepsō-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwobʰséh₂—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwebʰ-to weave, braid

Words derived from “wasp”

  • waspish
  • waspishly
  • wasplike
  • waspy
  • waspishness
  • woodwasp
  • waspie
  • wasphood
  • waspless
  • waspily
  • waspling
  • waspdom
Every word from Proto-Indo-European webʰ- →