waspish

See also: WASPish

English

WOTD – 4 November 2009

Etymology

From wasp +‎ -ish.

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /ˈwɒs.pɪʃ/
(US) IPA^(key): /ˈwɑ.spɪʃ/
Audio (US) (file)
Audio (AU) (file)

Adjective

waspish (comparative more waspish, superlative most waspish)

Suggestive of the behaviour of a wasp.
Spiteful or irascible.
- 1702, [Colley] Cibber, She Wou’d, and She Wou’d Not, or The Kind Impostor. A Comedy. […], London: […] William Turner […], and John Nutt, […], published 1703, →OCLC, Act III, page 30:
  Svveet Hony-Comb, don't be ſo VVaſpiſh: […]

Synonyms

(spiteful or irascible): irascible, spiteful

Translations

suggestive of the behaviour of a wasp

Finnish: ampiaismainen (fi)

spiteful or irascible

Bulgarian: ядосан (bg) (jadosan), раздразнен (bg) (razdraznen)
Danish: giftig (da), hvas (da), skarp (da)
Finnish: äkäinen (fi)
French: grincheux (fr)

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