murder hornet

English

This English term is a hot word. Its inclusion on Wiktionary is provisional.

Etymology

Calque of Japanese 殺人スズメバチ (literally “murder hornet”), from 殺人 (satsujin, “さつじん”)+スズメバチ (suzumebachi, “雀蜂”), equivalent to murder +‎ hornet. From its ability to kill people through its painful venomous stings, which can pierce through most regular beekeeper suits, killing some dozens of people a year in Japan; and its propensity for killing off honeybee colonies.[1][2][3][4]

Noun

murder hornet (plural murder hornets)

(informal) Synonym of Asian giant hornet (“Vespa mandarinia”) (a 2-inch flying hornet, the largest hornet in the world) [5]
- 2020, "Deadly Hornet Massacres a Mouse on Video, They're Huge", TMZ
  It's unclear if this is, in fact, a murder hornet
- 2020, "The murder hornet is the 2020 B-plot you probably didn’t see coming", Kim Lyons, The Verge
  Some days the news is upbeat and interesting and then other days the writers of the script for 2020: The Horror Show throw in a murder hornet plot twist because a pandemic is apparently not terrifying enough without two-inch hornets that rip the heads off of honeybees.
- 2020, "Murder Hornets Are In Canada Because 2020 Just Keeps On Going", Sima Shakeri, Huffington Post
  The New York Times reported about the hornets on Saturday that shared graphic details of the piles of honeybee corpses left behind after murder hornets infiltrated their hives.
- 2020, " "Murder hornets" have now entered the U.S. — and they could decimate the honeybee population ", Li Cohen, CBS News
  But murder hornets become most dangerous from late summer to early fall, when they ravage through honey bee populations.

Translations

colloquial terms for Asian giant hornet

Japanese: 殺人スズメバチ

References

New York Times, "‘Murder Hornets’ in the U.S.: The Rush to Stop the Asian Giant Hornet", Mike Baker, 2 May 2020
Toronto Star, "They hunted and destroyed a nest of ‘murder hornets.’ This B.C. couple says the buzz — and the threat — is real", Alex McKeen, 4 May 2020
Global News, "‘Murder hornet’: Asian invader is death on wings for bees in Canada, U.S.", Josh K. Elliott, 4 May 2020
CNN, "Invasive giant hornets have been spotted in the US for the first time", Faith Karimi, 3 May 2020
CNN, "Murder hornets??!! Twitter is freaking out", Alaa Elassar, 4 May 2020

[1] New York Times, "‘Murder Hornets’ in the U.S.: The Rush to Stop the Asian Giant Hornet", Mike Baker, 2 May 2020

[2] Toronto Star, "They hunted and destroyed a nest of ‘murder hornets.’ This B.C. couple says the buzz — and the threat — is real", Alex McKeen, 4 May 2020

[3] Global News, "‘Murder hornet’: Asian invader is death on wings for bees in Canada, U.S.", Josh K. Elliott, 4 May 2020

[4] CNN, "Invasive giant hornets have been spotted in the US for the first time", Faith Karimi, 3 May 2020