Where does “Wespenschwarm” come from?

Wespenschwarm (German) comes from German Wespe, from Middle High German wefse, from Old High German wefsa, from Proto-West Germanic wapsu, from Proto-Germanic wepsō-, from Proto-Indo-European wobʰséh₂, from Proto-Indo-European webʰ- — to weave, braid.

Wespenschwarm (German): swarm of wasps

Definitions

  1. swarm of wasps

Ancestry of “Wespenschwarm”, step by step

Wespenschwarm traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Wespe

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanWespewasp
2Middle High Germanwefse—
3Old High Germanwefsawasp
4Proto-West Germanicwapsuwasp
5Proto-Germanicwepsō-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwobʰséh₂wasp
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwebʰ-to weave, braid

via German Schwarm

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanSchwarmswarm of insects; flock of birds; school of fish;...
2Old High Germanswarmswarm of bees
3Proto-Germanicswarmazswarm; dizziness
4Proto-Indo-Europeanswēr-heavy
Every word from Proto-Indo-European webʰ- →
Wespenschwarm — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer