hornet's nest
1
4.5
- noun
- /ˈhɔrnɪts nɛst/
:
nido de avispas
- Carefully, she pointed out the hornet's nest hidden in the bushes near the path.
Examples
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Right in the hornet's nest.
-
If you want to get rid of a hornet's nest, you can freeze it.
Blog text (4) -
It would be impossible for Edith to meet his eyes now, and when he spoke again, she tried to look at the clapboard behind his head, up where the porch roof met the siding, but she saw a hornet's nest there, which unnerved her, and everything was so sadly peeling.
Fiction book (1997) -
The warning sign advised us to stay away from the hornet's nest to avoid being stung.
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A hornet's nest hangs from the tree branch, made of a papery material.
Synonyms
1
3.7
A home made from chewed wood that wasps build to hold many insects
1
4.1
A home built by hornets or wasps where they raise their young
A structure made by wasps or hornets where they live and raise young
Surface Forms
Morphology
hornet's + nest
The noun phrase is a straightforward possessive composition: 'hornet' (a stinging insect) + 'nest' (a structure for young), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a nest made by hornets. This compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and predictable; while there is a figurative use ('stir up a hornet's nest') that learners would need exposure for, the basic referential meaning is transparent.
Etymology
Hornet's nest names the real nest made by hornets, a paper-like 'home' they build from chewed wood and plant fibres and that can be dangerous to approach. So it literally means 'a nest built by hornets'.