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

wasp traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English waspe

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwaspeAlternative form of wasp
2Old EnglishwæspAlternative form of wæps
3Old Englishwæpsa wasp
4Proto-West Germanicwapsuwasp
5Proto-Germanicwepsō-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwobʰséh₂wasp
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwebʰ-to weave, braid

via Middle English wasp

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwaspwasp

via Middle English waps

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwapsAlternative form of wasp

Words derived from “wasp”

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