vespa

See also: Vespa and vèspa

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Old Catalan vespa, from Latin vespa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈbes.pə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ˈves.pə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈves.pa]

• Audio (Catalonia):

  (file)

Noun

vespa f (plural vespes)

1. wasp

Related terms

• vesper

References

• “vespa”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “vespa”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “vespa” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “vespa” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Finnish

Etymology

Generalized from the Italian motor scooter brand name Vespa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋespɑ/, [ˈʋe̞s̠pɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -espɑ
• Syllabification^(key): ves‧pa
• Hyphenation^(key): ves‧pa

Noun

vespa (informal)

1. scooter (motorcycle or moped equipped with a platform for the operator's feet)

Declension

Inflection of vespa (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		vespa	vespat
genitive		vespan	vespojen
partitive		vespaa	vespoja
illative		vespaan	vespoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		vespa	vespat
accusative	nom.	vespa	vespat
	gen.	vespan
genitive		vespan	vespojen vespain rare
partitive		vespaa	vespoja
inessive		vespassa	vespoissa
elative		vespasta	vespoista
illative		vespaan	vespoihin
adessive		vespalla	vespoilla
ablative		vespalta	vespoilta
allative		vespalle	vespoille
essive		vespana	vespoina
translative		vespaksi	vespoiksi
abessive		vespatta	vespoitta
instructive		—	vespoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of vespa (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative vespani vespani accusative nom. vespani vespani gen. vespani genitive vespani vespojeni vespaini rare partitive vespaani vespojani inessive vespassani vespoissani elative vespastani vespoistani illative vespaani vespoihini adessive vespallani vespoillani ablative vespaltani vespoiltani allative vespalleni vespoilleni essive vespanani vespoinani translative vespakseni vespoikseni abessive vespattani vespoittani instructive — — comitative — vespoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative vespasi vespasi accusative nom. vespasi vespasi gen. vespasi genitive vespasi vespojesi vespaisi rare partitive vespaasi vespojasi inessive vespassasi vespoissasi elative vespastasi vespoistasi illative vespaasi vespoihisi adessive vespallasi vespoillasi ablative vespaltasi vespoiltasi allative vespallesi vespoillesi essive vespanasi vespoinasi translative vespaksesi vespoiksesi abessive vespattasi vespoittasi instructive — — comitative — vespoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative vespamme vespamme accusative nom. vespamme vespamme gen. vespamme genitive vespamme vespojemme vespaimme rare partitive vespaamme vespojamme inessive vespassamme vespoissamme elative vespastamme vespoistamme illative vespaamme vespoihimme adessive vespallamme vespoillamme ablative vespaltamme vespoiltamme allative vespallemme vespoillemme essive vespanamme vespoinamme translative vespaksemme vespoiksemme abessive vespattamme vespoittamme instructive — — comitative — vespoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative vespanne vespanne accusative nom. vespanne vespanne gen. vespanne genitive vespanne vespojenne vespainne rare partitive vespaanne vespojanne inessive vespassanne vespoissanne elative vespastanne vespoistanne illative vespaanne vespoihinne adessive vespallanne vespoillanne ablative vespaltanne vespoiltanne allative vespallenne vespoillenne essive vespananne vespoinanne translative vespaksenne vespoiksenne abessive vespattanne vespoittanne instructive — — comitative — vespoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative vespansa vespansa accusative nom. vespansa vespansa gen. vespansa genitive vespansa vespojensa vespainsa rare partitive vespaansa vespojaan vespojansa inessive vespassaan vespassansa vespoissaan vespoissansa elative vespastaan vespastansa vespoistaan vespoistansa illative vespaansa vespoihinsa adessive vespallaan vespallansa vespoillaan vespoillansa ablative vespaltaan vespaltansa vespoiltaan vespoiltansa allative vespalleen vespallensa vespoilleen vespoillensa essive vespanaan vespanansa vespoinaan vespoinansa translative vespakseen vespaksensa vespoikseen vespoiksensa abessive vespattaan vespattansa vespoittaan vespoittansa instructive — — comitative — vespoineen vespoinensa

Synonyms

• skootteri

French

Noun

vespa f (plural vespas)

1. Vespa

References

• “vespa”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Galician

Noun

vespa f (plural vespas)

1. alternative form of avespa (“wasp”)

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛspa

Noun

vespa f (genitive singular vespu, nominative plural vespur)

1. hornet

Declension

Declension of vespa (feminine)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	vespa	vespan	vespur	vespurnar
accusative	vespu	vespuna	vespur	vespurnar
dative	vespu	vespunni	vespum	vespunum
genitive	vespu	vespunnar	vespa, vespna	vespanna, vespnanna

Indonesian

Etymology

Genericized trademark from Vespa.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian)
  • IPA^(key): /ˈvɛspa/ [ˈfɛs.pa]
    • Syllabification: ves‧pa
  • IPA^(key): /ˈpɛspa/ [ˈpɛs.pa]
• Rhymes: -ɛspa

Noun

vespa (plural vespa-vespa)

1. (colloquial) scooter

   Synonym: skuter

Interlingua

Noun

vespa (plural vespas)

1. wasp

Related terms

• vespere
• vespiario

Italian

Etymology

Inherited from Latin vespa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɛs.pa/
• Rhymes: -ɛspa
• Hyphenation: vè‧spa

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

vespa f (plural vespe)

1. wasp
2. (motorcycling) alternative letter-case form of Vespa; motor scooter

   Coordinate term: lambretta

Derived terms

• vespaio
• vespina
• vespone
• vespetta

Descendants

• → English: vespa
• → Finnish: vespa
• → French: vespa
• → Indonesian: vespa
• → Portuguese: vespa
• → Serbo-Croatian: vȅspa / ве̏спа
• → Spanish: vespa
• → Swedish: vespa

Further reading

• Vespidae on the Italian Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^it
• Piaggio Vespa on the Italian Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^it

Latin

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Italic *wospā, metathesized from earlier *wopsā, from Proto-Indo-European *wóbʰseh₂, from *webʰ- (“to weave”). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?) Cognate with English wasp.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈwɛs.pa]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈvɛs.pa]

Noun

vespa f (genitive vespae); first declension

1. wasp (insect)

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	vespa	vespae
genitive	vespae	vespārum
dative	vespae	vespīs
accusative	vespam	vespās
ablative	vespā	vespīs
vocative	vespa	vespae

Derived terms

• vespōsus (“waspy”)

Descendants

(Note: terms beginning with ⟨g⟩, ⟨gh⟩ and ⟨gu⟩ may have been conflated with or influenced by Frankish *wapsu (“wasp”).)

• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: espa, espe
• Balkano-Romance:
  • Aromanian: yeaspi (see alternative forms)
  • Megleno-Romanian: vaspi, ghiaspi
  • Romanian: viespe, veaspă, jeaspă (Moldavia)
• Italo-Dalmatian:
  • Corsican: vespa
  • Italian: vespa
  • Neapolitan: vèspera, vespa, respa
  • Sicilian: vespa
  • Venetan: vespa, bespa, brespa, ciospa
• Gallo-Italic:
  • Lombard: besba, veisp
  • Piedmontese: vespa, ghespa
• Rhaeto-Romance:
  • Friulian: gjespe, jespe, viespe
  • Ladin: vespa, bespia
  • Romansch: vespra, viaspra
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: vespa
  • Franco-Provençal: gouépa (see alternative forms)
  • Occitan: vèspa, guèspa, guespa
    • Gascon: vrèspa
  • Old French: guespe (see there for further descendants)
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Aragonese: abriaspa (see alternative forms)
  • Asturian: viespa, aviespa
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: vespa
    • Galician: avespa, vespa, avéspora, nespra
    • Portuguese: vespa
  • Old Spanish: biespa
    • Ladino: bizba, bezba
    • Spanish: avispa
• Borrowings:
  • → Esperanto: vespo
    • → Ido: vespo
  • → Interlingua: vespa

See also

• apis (“bee”)
• crabro (“hornet”)

References

• “vespa”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “vespa”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "vespa", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1911), “vĕspa”, in Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), page 707

Piedmontese

Noun

vespa f (plural vespe)

1. wasp

Related terms

• vespé
• vespun

Portuguese

vespa (Polistes dominulus)

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈves.pɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈves.pɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈveʃ.pɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈves.pa/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈveʃ.pɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈveʃ.pɐ/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbeʃ.pɐ/

• Rhymes: (Brazil) -espɐ, (Portugal) -eʃpɐ
• Hyphenation: ves‧pa

Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese vespa, from Latin vespa.

Noun

vespa f (plural vespas)

1. wasp

   Synonyms: marimbondo, caba, cabatão

Related terms

• vespa-do-mar
• vespão
• vespeiro
• vespinha

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian Vespa.

Noun

vespa f (plural vespas)

1. motor scooter

Further reading

• “vespa”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “vespa”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian vespa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʋêspa/
• Hyphenation: ves‧pa

Noun

vȅspa f (Cyrillic spelling ве̏спа)

1. (informal) motor scooter

Declension

Declension of vespa

	singular	plural
nominative	vȅspa	vespe
genitive	vespe	vȇspā/vȇspī
dative	vespi	vespama
accusative	vespu	vespe
vocative	vespo	vespe
locative	vespi	vespama
instrumental	vespom	vespama

References

• “vespa”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

Sicilian

Etymology

Inherited from Latin vespa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɛspa/, [ˈvɛʃpa]
• Hyphenation: vès‧pa

Noun

vespa f (plural vespi)

1. wasp

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian vespa. Doublet of avispa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbespa/ [ˈbes.pa]
• Rhymes: -espa
• Syllabification: ves‧pa

Noun

vespa f (plural vespas)

1. Vespa (brand name)
2. scooter (powered bicycle or tricycle)

Derived terms

• vespino

Further reading

• “vespa”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024

Swedish

Etymology

Genericized trademark from the Italian motor scooter brand Vespa.

Noun

vespa c

1. a motor scooter (small motorcycle or moped with a step-through frame)

   Synonyms: scooter, (when clear from context) skoter

Declension

Declension of vespa

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	vespa	vespas
	definite	vespan	vespans
plural	indefinite	vespor	vespors
	definite	vesporna	vespornas

References

• vespa in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• vespa in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• vespa in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)