wasp [OE] Our distant linguistic ancestors had a word for wasp which can be traced back to an ancient root that also produced the Latin word for ‘wasp’, vespa. The ultimate origin may be a word that meant ‘to weave’, the connection being the way that wasps chew up wood into a papery substance that they use to construct their nests. The Latin word vespa was carried forward into Italian and used as the name for the Vespa, the little motor scooter beloved by Italians, named for its hyperactive buzzing, while the little three-wheeled van built round the Vespa engine is called an Ape (the final ‘e’ pronounced), the Italian for ‘bee’ from Latin apis ‘bee’, source of apiary [M17] ‘beehive’ and apiarist [E19th] ‘beekeeper’.