Venus

American  

[vee-nuhs] / ˈvi nəs /

noun

plural

Venuses

1. an ancient Italian goddess of gardens and spring, identified by the Romans with Aphrodite as the goddess of love and beauty.

2. an exceptionally beautiful woman.

3. (sometimes lowercase) a statuette of a female figure, usually carved of ivory and typically having exaggerated breasts, belly, or buttocks, often found in Upper Paleolithic cultures from Siberia to France.

4. Astronomy. the planet second in order from the sun, having an equatorial diameter of 7,521 miles (12,104 km), a mean distance from the sun of 67.2 million miles (108.2 million km), a period of revolution of 224.68 days, and no moons. It is the most brilliant planet in the solar system.

5. Chemistry Obsolete. copper.

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Venus ¹ British  

/ ˈviːnəs /

noun

1. one of the inferior planets and the second nearest to the sun, visible as a bright morning or evening star. Its surface is extremely hot (over 400°C) and is completely shrouded by dense cloud. The atmosphere is principally carbon dioxide. Mean distance from sun: 108 million km; period of revolution around sun: 225 days; period of axial rotation: 244.3 days (retrograde motion); diameter and mass: 96.5 and 81.5 per cent that of earth respectively

2. the alchemical name for copper 1

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Venus ² British  

/ ˈviːnəs /

noun

1. Greek counterpart: Aphrodite.  the Roman goddess of love

2. See mons veneris

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Venus Scientific  

/ vē′nəs /

1. The second planet from the Sun, with a diameter about 400 miles less than that of Earth. Venus is a terrestrial or inner planet and at inferior conjunction comes nearer to Earth than any other planet; depending on its phase, it is also the brightest object in the night sky aside from Earth's moon. Because Venus is an inferior planet (located between Earth and the Sun), it is only visible relatively near the horizon in the first few hours before sunrise or after sunset. It has a dense atmosphere consisting primarily of carbon dioxide, which, together with its proximity to the Sun, creates an intense greenhouse effect, making it the hottest planet in the solar system with an average surface temperature of 464°C (867°F). Venus is completely shrouded by a thick layer of clouds made up mainly of droplets of sulfuric acid with other clouds of vaporous and particulate sulfur dioxide below it. Radar mapping of the Venutian surface shows rolling hills, plains, and numerous volcanoes as well as large impact craters and extensive lava flows.

2. See Table at solar system

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Venus ¹ Cultural  

1. The Roman name of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty in classical mythology.

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Venus ² Cultural  

1. In astronomy, the second major planet from the sun, named for the Roman goddess of love. The surface of Venus is very hot and covered with clouds. Spacecraft from the former Soviet Union landed on Venus and survived long enough to send back photographs and measurements. (See solar system; see under “Mythology and Folklore.”)

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Discover More

The second planet from the sun (the Earth is third) is named Venus.

Venus is seen from the Earth as a bright morning or evening star — occasionally bright enough to cast a shadow.

Etymology

Origin of Venus

< Latin Venus, stem Vener- originally a neuter common noun meaning “physical desire, sexual appetite,” hence “qualities exciting desire, seductiveness, charm,” “a goddess personifying sexual attractiveness”; cognate with Sanskrit vanaḥ desire, akin to wish; venerate, venom

Example Sentences

The Uffizi is home to some of Italy's most celebrated artworks, such as Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Finally, it’s working toward the first launch of its Neutron rocket later this year and is preparing to send a probe to Venus this summer.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

Unlike Michelangelo and Leonardo, who seem to have learned about female anatomy primarily by studying ancient Roman statues of Venus, Raphael, in his red-chalk drawings, reveals a real sensitivity to the female form.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

"We can't get to the cores of Earth or Mars or Venus, but maybe we can get to the core of an early asteroid."

From Science Daily • Mar. 17, 2026

At this point it became apparent that seen from Venus the Earth would be one of the brightest stars in the sky.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• vision