Definition of Venus
Venus, the Roman goddess of love, of wedded love, and of beauty
(originally of the spring), and at length identified with the Greek
Aphrodité ( q. v.); she was regarded as the tutelary goddess of
Rome, and had a temple to her honour in the Forum.
- Wikipedia
Venus, an interior planet of the solar system, revolving in an orbit
outside that of Mercury and within that of the earth, nearly as large as
the latter; is 67 millions of miles from the sun, round which it revolves
in 224 days, while it takes 23¼ hours to rotate on its own axis; it is
the brightest of the heavenly bodies, and appears in the sky now as the
morning star, now as the evening star, according as it rises before the
sun or sets after it, so that it is always seen either in the E. or the
W.; when right between us and the sun it is seen moving as a black spot
on the sun's disk, a phenomenon known as "Transit of Venus," the last
instance of which occurred in 1882, and that will not occur again till
after 105½ years.
- Wikipedia
Ve"nus (?), n. [L. Venus, -
eris, the goddess of love, the planet Venus.] 1.
(Class. Myth.) The goddess of beauty and love, that is, beauty
or love deified.
2. (Anat.) One of the planets, the second in
order from the sun, its orbit lying between that of Mercury and that of the
Earth, at a mean distance from the sun of about 67,000,000 miles. Its
diameter is 7,700 miles, and its sidereal period 224.7 days. As the morning
star, it was called by the ancients Lucifer; as the evening star,
Hesperus.
3. (Alchem.) The metal copper; -- probably
so designated from the ancient use of the metal in making mirrors, a mirror
being still the astronomical symbol of the planet Venus.
[Archaic]
4. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species
of marine bivalve shells of the genus Venus or family
Veneridæ. Many of these shells are large, and ornamented with
beautiful frills; others are smooth, glossy, and handsomely colored. Some
of the larger species, as the round clam, or quahog, are valued for
food.
Venus's basin (Bot.), the wild teasel; --
so called because the connate leaf bases form a kind of receptacle for
water, which was formerly gathered for use in the toilet. Also called
Venus's bath. -- Venus's basket
(Zoöl.), an elegant, cornucopia-shaped, hexactinellid
sponge (Euplectella speciosa) native of the East Indies. It consists
of glassy, transparent, siliceous fibers interwoven and soldered together
so as to form a firm network, and has long, slender, divergent anchoring
fibers at the base by means of which it stands erect in the soft mud at the
bottom of the sea. Called also Venus's flower basket, and Venus's
purse. -- Venus's comb. (a)
(Bot.) Same as Lady's comb. (b)
(Zoöl.) A species of Murex (M. tenuispinus).
It has a long, tubular canal, with a row of long, slender spines along both
of its borders, and rows of similar spines covering the body of the shell.
Called also Venus's shell. -- Venus's fan
(Zoöl.), a common reticulated, fanshaped gorgonia
(Gorgonia flabellum) native of Florida and the West Indies. When
fresh the color is purple or yellow, or a mixture of the two. --
Venus's flytrap. (Bot.) See Flytrap,
2. -- Venus's girdle (Zoöl.), a
long, flat, ribbonlike, very delicate, transparent and iridescent
ctenophore (Cestum Veneris) which swims in the open sea. Its form is
due to the enormous development of two spheromeres. See Illust. in
Appendix. -- Venus's hair (Bot.), a
delicate and graceful fern (Adiantum Capillus-Veneris) having a
slender, black and shining stem and branches. -- Venus's hair
stone (Min.), quartz penetrated by acicular crystals
of rutile. -- Venus's looking-glass (Bot.),
an annual plant of the genus Specularia allied to the
bellflower; -- also called lady's looking-glass. --
Venus's navelwort (Bot.), any one of several
species of Omphalodes, low boraginaceous herbs with small blue or
white flowers. -- Venus's pride (Bot.),
an old name for Quaker ladies. See under Quaker. --
Venus's purse. (Zoöl.) Same as Venus's
basket, above. -- Venus's shell.
(Zoöl.) (a) Any species of Cypræa; a
cowrie. (b) Same as Venus's comb,
above. (c) Same as Venus, 4. --
Venus's slipper. (a) (Bot.)
Any plant of the genus Cypripedium. See Lady's slipper.
(b) (Zoöl.) Any heteropod shell of the genus
Carinaria. See Carinaria.
Ve"nus (?), n. [L. Venus, -
eris, the goddess of love, the planet Venus.] 1.
(Class. Myth.) The goddess of beauty and love, that is, beauty
or love deified.
2. (Anat.) One of the planets, the second in
order from the sun, its orbit lying between that of Mercury and that of the
Earth, at a mean distance from the sun of about 67,000,000 miles. Its
diameter is 7,700 miles, and its sidereal period 224.7 days. As the morning
star, it was called by the ancients Lucifer; as the evening star,
Hesperus.
3. (Alchem.) The metal copper; -- probably
so designated from the ancient use of the metal in making mirrors, a mirror
being still the astronomical symbol of the planet Venus.
[Archaic]
4. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species
of marine bivalve shells of the genus Venus or family
Veneridæ. Many of these shells are large, and ornamented with
beautiful frills; others are smooth, glossy, and handsomely colored. Some
of the larger species, as the round clam, or quahog, are valued for
food.
Venus's basin (Bot.), the wild teasel; --
so called because the connate leaf bases form a kind of receptacle for
water, which was formerly gathered for use in the toilet. Also called
Venus's bath. -- Venus's basket
(Zoöl.), an elegant, cornucopia-shaped, hexactinellid
sponge (Euplectella speciosa) native of the East Indies. It consists
of glassy, transparent, siliceous fibers interwoven and soldered together
so as to form a firm network, and has long, slender, divergent anchoring
fibers at the base by means of which it stands erect in the soft mud at the
bottom of the sea. Called also Venus's flower basket, and Venus's
purse. -- Venus's comb. (a)
(Bot.) Same as Lady's comb. (b)
(Zoöl.) A species of Murex (M. tenuispinus).
It has a long, tubular canal, with a row of long, slender spines along both
of its borders, and rows of similar spines covering the body of the shell.
Called also Venus's shell. -- Venus's fan
(Zoöl.), a common reticulated, fanshaped gorgonia
(Gorgonia flabellum) native of Florida and the West Indies. When
fresh the color is purple or yellow, or a mixture of the two. --
Venus's flytrap. (Bot.) See Flytrap,
2. -- Venus's girdle (Zoöl.), a
long, flat, ribbonlike, very delicate, transparent and iridescent
ctenophore (Cestum Veneris) which swims in the open sea. Its form is
due to the enormous development of two spheromeres. See Illust. in
Appendix. -- Venus's hair (Bot.), a
delicate and graceful fern (Adiantum Capillus-Veneris) having a
slender, black and shining stem and branches. -- Venus's hair
stone (Min.), quartz penetrated by acicular crystals
of rutile. -- Venus's looking-glass (Bot.),
an annual plant of the genus Specularia allied to the
bellflower; -- also called lady's looking-glass. --
Venus's navelwort (Bot.), any one of several
species of Omphalodes, low boraginaceous herbs with small blue or
white flowers. -- Venus's pride (Bot.),
an old name for Quaker ladies. See under Quaker. --
Venus's purse. (Zoöl.) Same as Venus's
basket, above. -- Venus's shell.
(Zoöl.) (a) Any species of Cypræa; a
cowrie. (b) Same as Venus's comb,
above. (c) Same as Venus, 4. --
Venus's slipper. (a) (Bot.)
Any plant of the genus Cypripedium. See Lady's slipper.
(b) (Zoöl.) Any heteropod shell of the genus
Carinaria. See Carinaria.
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
- (Roman mythology): the goddess of love, beauty, and natural productivity
- the second planet in our solar system
Finnish
- Venus (1,2)
German
- Venus (1,2)
Latin
- Roman goddess of natural productivity
- the second planet in our solar system
Spanish
- Venus
- The Nuttall Encyclopedia
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