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}]