Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Any of various large stinging wasps of the family Vespidae, chiefly of the genera Vespa and Vespula, that characteristically build large papery nests.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An insect of the wasp family, of the genus Vespa, much larger and stronger than wasps of other species, and capable of inflicting a more severe and painful sting. Hornets congregate in a cellular nest formed of a substance resembling coarse paper, elaborated from leaves and particles of wood. The nest is sometimes pendent, and sometimes placed in a hollow tree. The European hornet, V. crabro, and the American hornet, or yellow-jacket, V. maculata, are similar in character and habit. The name is often used for any large or formidable wasp, especially one whose sting is exceptionally painful.
- n. Figuratively, a person who annoys by frequent and persistent petty attacks.
Wiktionary
- n. A large wasp, of the genus Vespa, with a brown and yellow striped body and capable of inflicting a serious sting.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A large, strong wasp. The European species (Vespa crabro) is of a dark brown and yellow color. It is very pugnacious, and its sting is very severe. Its nest is constructed of a paperlike material, and the layers of comb are hung together by columns. The American white-faced hornet (Vespa maculata) is larger and has similar habits.
WordNet 3.0
- n. large stinging paper wasp
Etymologies
- Middle English hornet, alteration (probably influenced by horn, horn) of hernet, from Old English hyrnet; see ker-1 in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“The American general in charge of NATO today declared the coalition forces in Afghanistan, have stirred up what he called a hornet's nest.”
“One of our choppers brought me the other day what he called a hornet's nest; it was certainly too small and delicate a piece of workmanship for so large an insect; and I rather conjecture that it belonged to the beautiful black and gold insect called the wasp-fly, but of this I am not certain.”
“I have not had any experiences like the ones above but one thing that makes me madder than a hornet is when I am fishing down a row of docks and another boat cuts right in front of you and starts fishing the dock right in front of you.”
“The 2007 hornet is designed and built in Italy as well, and although it definitely can not reach the absolute powerhouse the streetfighter is, it has more style then a handfull of streetfighters combined. (and ABS!)”
Ducati Streetfighter and Streetfighter S get 155bhp 1098 engine - Hell For Leather
“A hornet is 3 times the size and 20 times the weight of a bee.”
“The hornet was the first paper-maker, and holds the original patent.”
“The yellow wasp or hornet, that is around in autumn, is of but little account; their object is honey, which they take when they can get it, but are not apt to enter the hive among the bees.”
“Don Teague reported Falcon Lake and the surrounding area has been called a hornet's nest of criminal activity for the Zeta drug cartel, a powerful and fierce Mexican gang that's not shy about letting its presence be known.”
“S. O'BRIEN: The president could be headed into a kind of hornet's nest.”
“I think we've stirred up a bloomin' hornet's nest and we'd best leg it out of here. ”
The Moon of Skulls
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘hornet’.
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Things with wings
For fanciful birds, see reesetee's •Open List: Flights of Fancy.
For chickens, see Chickens.
For birds endemic to the United States and/or North America, see reesetee's Mo...airplane, dragonfly, pegasus, butterfly, Buffalo, robot bomb, periodical cicada, caduceus, angel, those flying monk..., cherub, housefly and 52 more...
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animals (2 syllable)
A list of common animal names. Keep the list to 2 syllable words.No scientific names. No proper names like 'Fluffy' the elephant.Insects and other creatures (even ficticious like 'dragon') are we...
baboon, rabbit, raptor, dragon, camel, hornet, llama, cobra, cheetah, penguin, puppy, dolphin and 85 more...
john “The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to attack both ground and aerial targets. Designed in the 1970s for service with the United States Navy and Marine Corps, the Hornet is also used by the air forces of several other nations.�? More on Wikipedia. Dec 30, 2008