wasp

wasp [wäsp, wôsp]

n.

[ME waspe < OE wæsp, akin to Ger wespe < Gmc base * waps- < IE * wobhsā < base * webh-, to WEAVE (in reference to the cocoonlike nest)]

any of various families of winged hymenopteran insects, characterized by a slender body with the abdomen attached by a narrow stalk, biting mouthparts, and, in the females and workers, a vicious sting that can be used repeatedly: some wasps, as the hornet, are characterized by a colonial or social organization