wasp's nest
1
3.7
- noun
- /wɑspz nɛst/
:
nido de avispa
- And from the ceiling above it hung a wasps' nest?
Examples
-
After the storm, they discovered a wasp's nest hidden in a corner of the shed.
-
-He found a wasp's nest.
-
Above it, a wasp's nest.
Fiction book (1992) -
The old siphon pipe was there, as filthy as ever, and now sheltering a wasp's nest.
Blog text (18) -
About George, I would tell you what I imagined: a rotted-out porch, a wasp's nest, simple food, cornfields, dry dirt.
Fiction book (1996) -
There wouldn't be enough sad people to pay for him to take Mrs. Darrow and the twins to the Bahamas. "You've got a point," Mike said, lying on his back, staring at the wasp's nest with his hands laced across his chest, sounding as if he had no choice but to agree.
Fiction book (1999) -
While hiking through the woods, he accidentally disturbed a wasp's nest hanging from a tree branch.
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The gardener warned us to be careful near the wasp's nest built under the porch.
Synonyms
219
1.0
A place birds or animals make to lay eggs and raise their young
1
4.5
A nest made of paper-like material by wasps where they live
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
wasp's + nest
The meaning is directly compositional: a nest belonging to/constructed by wasps. A B1 learner who knows 'wasp' (the insect) and 'nest' (a structure for eggs/young) will readily infer this referent; the possessive '’s' simply marks ownership. This literal, cross-linguistically common noun+possessive construction makes the MWE clearly transparent.
Etymology
Wasp's nest comes from the real home built by wasps: the insect wasp chews wood into a paper-like material and builds a hanging nest where many wasps live. So, wasp's nest means the actual 'home' of wasps and reminds us it can hold many insects and be dangerous if disturbed.