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hornet

noun
USHOR-nit/ˈhɔɹ.nɪt/UKHAW-nit/ˈhɔː.nɪt/

Pluralhornets

2 meanings of hornet

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  1. 1
    nouncountable
    A large wasp belonging to the genus Vespa, capable of inflicting a painful, serious sting.

    A hornet built its nest under the eaves of the old barn.

    Several hornets swarmed out when the children disturbed the branch.

    Note

    A name that points at the head rather than the sting: the Indo-European root behind it meant "the one with horns," the horns being the insect's antennae. It has come down through Old English hyrnetu and Middle English hernet, and its cousins are easy to spot in German Hornisse and Dutch horzel. Strictly, it names the large Vespa wasps, not any wasp at all.

  2. 2
    nouncountable
    Someone who continually harasses others through petty attacks.

    She became the office hornet, hounding colleagues over trivial errors.

    Critics turned into hornets the moment his book appeared, picking at every sentence.

    Similarpest, nag, gadfly, nitpicker, nuisance

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Origin

From Middle English "hernet" and Old English "hyrnetu," going back to Proto-Germanic (compare German "Hornisse") and ultimately to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "the one with horns," a reference to the insect's antennae. It is related to the root for "horn," with cognates such as Latin "crābrō" (hornet) and Lithuanian "širšė" (wasp).