/ wɒsp; NAmE wɑːsp; wɔːsp/ noun
a black and yellow flying insect that can sting :
a wasp sting
a wasps' nest
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English wæfs , wæps , wæsp , of West Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin vespa ; perhaps related to weave (from the web-like form of its nest).