wasp

noun

1. Any of many types of stinging flying insect resembling a hornet.
2. Any of the members of suborder Apocrita, excepting the ants (family Formicidae) and bees (clade Anthophila).
3. Any of the members of suborder Apocrita, excepting the ants (family Formicidae) and bees (clade Anthophila).
4. A person who behaves in an angry or insolent way, hence waspishly.
5. (alt-of)Alternative letter-case form of WASP (“white Anglo-Saxon Protestant”).

   “The show went through clothes to suit the lifestyle of a wealthy wasp, an American archetype that is now synonymous with the brand.”

6. (US, abbreviation, acronym, alt-of)Acronym of White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, a member of the supposed ruling class of America.

   “Bill got to college only by dint of support from a female relative and heiress (a useful WASP resource) and by scholarships, then a symbol of WASP entitlement.”

   “Joseph Alsop, the acerbic columnist she married in 1961, called his crowd “the ever-diminishing group of survivors of the WASP ascendancy.” It was a world of perfect manners and closely held power, not hugs and meaningful exchanges.”

   “Growing up in white suburbs and attending elite schools and institutions of higher learning, black American prince and princesses are immersed in Anglo (often WASP) culture and emerge with modes of speech, behavior and grooming that brand them as "Oreos," black on the outside and white in the middle.”

7. (abbreviation, alt-of, historical, initialism)Initialism of Women Airforce Service Pilots.
8. (alt-of)Alternative letter-case form of WASP.

   “Purists like to confine Wasps to descendants of the British Isles; less exacting analysts are willing to throw in Scandinavians, Netherlanders and Germans. At the narrowest, Wasps form a select band of well-heeled, well-descended members of the Eastern Establishment; at the widest, they include Okies and Snopeses, "Holy Rollers" and hillbillies.”

verb

1. To move like a wasp; to buzz.