English word origin

Etymology of Vespa

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

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

An Italian motor scooter.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionVespait
Doublet mentionwaspen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "it",
        "3": "Vespa"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian Vespa"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "wasp"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of wasp"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Vespa",
      "Vespa#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "vespa",
      "vespa#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "wasp",
      "wasp#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An Italian motor scooter."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "40db4374621e8387a53d19b2ba49929b0f093b270c30aa12c79524d4580220c8",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5cb453de2b1d9894a6f9bb4ffe053d8e03e36931e6d01529e1dcf19211832eec",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 334560
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

A surname from Italian.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Italian Vespa.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionVespait

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "<dab!>"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "it",
        "3": "Vespa"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian Vespa"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Vespa",
      "Vespa#Italian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Italian."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "4299bbb6b420416774987c75e6f42a086b24197889054993e35170944326335c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e222925a98894e3d5cebd8ea12d3320a2b441b31096c214f834b8a94105a484c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 334561
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Vespa →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-VmVzcGE