Venus

[ vee-nuhs ]

noun

, plural Ve·nus·es

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) Archaeology. 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 ¹( def 1 ).

Venus

¹

/ ˈviːnəs /

noun

1. the Roman goddess of love Greek counterpartAphrodite
2. See mons veneris
   mount of Venus
   mount of Venus See mons veneris

Venus

²

/ 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. See copper
   the alchemical name for copper 1

Venus

/ 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

Venus

¹

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.” )

Venus

²

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

Notes

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Venus¹

< 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

However, in the case of Venus’ flower basket, the evolutionary purpose of its incompressibility is unclear.

From Quanta Magazine

Perhaps next year will bring a clearer picture of what chemicals are and aren’t wafting through Venus’s upper atmosphere.

From Popular-Science

While proposed solutions to the other challenges of landing on Venus are close to doable, he says, this one remains the biggest hurdle.

From Science News

Just a few years ago it seemed like Rocket Lab was going to be an up-and-comer in the launch world, and so they are today — in addition to going reusable, creating a low-cost satellite platform, and planning a mission to Venus.

From TechCrunch

If life does exist in the Venus clouds, it is highly likely to consist of immigrants from Earth.

From Science News

Can you imagine flying to Venus in an Apollo-era ship based on the same technology, as some NASA people proposed?

From The Daily Beast

Displays of malformations were obviously often strikingly offensive, none more so than the “Hottentot Venus.”

From The Daily Beast

Venus Williams  Why You Might Know Her: The other half of the famous Williams sister duo has seven majors in her career.

From The Daily Beast

Sarah Hajney is an adorable little version of a Botticelli Venus.

From The Daily Beast

Venus orbits the Sun within the habitable zone, and is only slightly smaller than Earth.

From The Daily Beast

Cassini observed, by the position of certain spots, the revolution of the planet Venus on its axis.

From Project Gutenberg

See that silver spiral going out from Venus and around the table to the orbit of Saturn?

From Project Gutenberg

If it be true that Venus does not turn upon its axis, such is likely to be the case also with the planet Mercury.

From Project Gutenberg

Two of the fathers were Mars and Anchises; and there are several other legends about the loves of Venus.

From Project Gutenberg

Next beyond Mercury is Venus, a sphere only a little less in diameter than the earth.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• earth