Vanessa

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Vanessa
       n : painted beauty and red admiral [syn: {genus Vanessa}]