Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of various widely distributed insects of the family Vespidae, which includes the paper wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A member of the hymenopterous family Vespidæ.
  • Having the characteristics of or belonging to the family Vespidæ.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Characteristic of the wasp family Vespidae; wasplike
  • noun Any social insect of the family Vespidae including wasps and hornets

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun mostly social nest-building wasps

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From New Latin Vespidae, family name, from Vespa, type genus, from Latin vespa, wasp.]

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Examples

  • New study rewrites evolutionary history of vespid wasps

    Again, Canadians ahead of US 2007

  • Scientists at the University of Illinois have conducted a genetic analysis of vespid wasps that revises the vespid family tree and challenges long-held views about how the wasps’ social behaviors evolved.

    Again, Canadians ahead of US 2007

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