Vanessa \Van*es"sa\, n. [Probably from Swift's poem of Cadenus
and Vanessa. See {Vanessa}, in the Dictionary of Noted Names
in Fiction.] (Zo["o]l.)
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.
Vanessa
n : painted beauty and red admiral [syn: {genus Vanessa}]