Vespa

See also: vespa

Translingual

Vespa velutina

Etymology

Latin vespa (“wasp”)

Proper noun

Vespa f

1. A taxonomic genus within the family Vespidae – hornets.

Hypernyms

• (genus): Eukaryota – superkingdom; Animalia – kingdom; Bilateria – subkingdom; Protostomia – infrakingdom; Ecdysozoa – superphylum; Arthropoda – phylum; Hexapoda – subphylum; Insecta – class; Pterygota – subclass; Neoptera – infraclass; Holometabola – superorder; Hymenoptera – order; Apocrita - suborder; Vespoidea - superfamily; Vespidae - family; Vespinae - subfamily

Hyponyms

• (genus): Vespa affinis, Vespa analis, Vespa basalis, Vespa bellicosa, Vespa bicolor, Vespa binghami, Vespa crabro, Vespa ducalis, Vespa dybowskii, Vespa fervida, Vespa fumida, Vespa luctuosa, Vespa mandarinia, Vespa mocsaryana, Vespa multimaculata, Vespa orientalis, Vespa philippinensis, Vespa simillima, Vespa soror, Vespa tropica, Vespa velutina, Vespa vivax (species)

References

• Hornet on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Vespa on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Vespa on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

English

A Vespa

Etymology 1

Trade name; borrowing from Italian Vespa, from vespa (“wasp”). Doublet of wasp.

Noun

Vespa (plural Vespas)

1. An Italian motor scooter.
   • 2004, Henning Mankell, translated by Ebba Segerberg, Before The Frost, page 76:

     Her 40-year-old Vespa was waiting in the yard under a custom-made cover.

   • 2009, David J. Degou, Cambridge Police Department, unnumbered page:

     In 1967, members of the traffic unit provide a funeral escort riding Vespa police model motor scooters. The Vespa scooter had the ability to cruise at speeds from 2 miles per hour to 65 miles per hour.

   • 2011, Terry A. Burgess, Smell the Devil's Breath, Uncommon Senses, Number 4, page 85,

     He grabbed the handlebars of the smallest Vespa near the end of the row and pulled the machine free of its slot.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian Vespa.

Proper noun

Vespa (plural Vespas)

1. A surname from Italian.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Vespa is the 32302^nd most common surname in the United States, belonging to 713 individuals. Vespa is most common among White (96.21%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Vespa”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 3, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN.

Anagrams

• paves, pavés, spave, vapes

Italian

Alternative forms

• vespa

Etymology

From vespa (“wasp”), in reference to its shape or sound. See also Ape (“bee”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɛ.spa/
• Rhymes: -ɛspa
• Hyphenation: Vè‧spa

Noun

Vespa f (plural Vespe)

1. Vespa (Italian brand of motor scooter, or any similar motor scooter)

   Coordinate term: Lambretta

Derived terms

• vespista

Proper noun

Vespa m or f by sense

1. a surname

Further reading

• Piaggio Vespa on the Italian Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^it