Where does “yellowjacket” come from?

yellowjacket (English) comes from English yellow, from Middle English yelow, from Old English ġeolu, from Proto-West Germanic gelu, from Proto-Germanic gelwaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃wós, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃- — to flourish; green, yellow.

yellowjacket (English): A predatory wasp with alternating black and...

Definitions

  1. A predatory wasp with alternating black and...

Ancestry of “yellowjacket”, step by step

yellowjacket traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English yellow

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishyellowHaving yellow as its color; Lacking courage;...
2Middle Englishyelowyellow, yellowish, gold; yellow-coloured;...
3Old Englishġeoluyellow
4Proto-West Germanicgeluyellow
5Proto-Germanicgelwazyellow
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰelh₃wósyellow, green
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰelh₃-to flourish; green, yellow

via English jacket

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishjacketA piece of clothing worn on the upper body...
2Middle Frenchjacquet
3Old Frenchjaquea gambison; a type of tight-fitting shirt
4Arabicشَكّdoubt, suspicion
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃-
yellowjacket — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer