vanessa

2 definitions found

vanessa - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Vanessa \Van*es"sa\ (v[a^]n*[e^]s"s[.a]), n. [Probably from
     Swift's poem of Cadenus and Vanessa. See Vanessa, in the
     Dictionary of Noted Names in Fiction.] (Zool.)
     Any one of numerous species of handsomely colored butterflies
     belonging to Vanessa and allied genera. Many of these
     species have the edges of the wings irregularly scalloped.
     [1913 Webster]

vanessa - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  Vanessa
      n 1: painted beauty and red admiral [syn: Vanessa, genus Vanessa
           ]