Venus

[ vee-nuhs ]

/ ˈvi nəs /

Save This Word!

Definition of Venus

noun, plural Ve·nus·es for 2.

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

an exceptionally beautiful woman.

(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.

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.

Chemistry Obsolete. copper¹ (def. 1).

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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; cf. venerate, venom

Words nearby Venus

venturous, vent window, venue, venule, venulose, Venus, Venus and Adonis, Venusberg, Venus de Milo, Venus figure, Venus hairstone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Venus in a sentence

However, in the case of Venus’ flower basket, the evolutionary purpose of its incompressibility is unclear.
The Curious Strength of a Sea Sponge’s Glass Skeleton|Elena Renken|January 11, 2021|Quanta Magazine
Perhaps next year will bring a clearer picture of what chemicals are and aren’t wafting through Venus’s upper atmosphere.
The best space stories of 2020|Charlie Wood|December 25, 2020|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.
How future spacecraft might handle tricky landings on Venus or Europa|Lisa Grossman|December 23, 2020|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.
Peter Beck on Rocket Lab’s expanding orbit|Devin Coldewey|December 18, 2020|TechCrunch

If life does exist in the Venus clouds, it is highly likely to consist of immigrants from Earth.
Readers ask about life on Venus and high-energy cosmic rays|Science News Staff|November 29, 2020|Science News
Can you imagine flying to Venus in an Apollo-era ship based on the same technology, as some NASA people proposed?
To Infinity and Beyond! NASA’s Orion Mission Blasts Off|Matthew R. Francis|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Displays of malformations were obviously often strikingly offensive, none more so than the “Hottentot Venus.”
We’re All Carnies Now: Why We Can’t Quit the Circus|Anthony Paletta|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Venus Williams Why You Might Know Her: The other half of the famous Williams sister duo has seven majors in her career.
12 Things You Didn’t Know About the Quirky Stars of Wimbledon|Nicholas McCarvel|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sarah Hajney is an adorable little version of a Botticelli Venus.
The Stacks: The Searing Story of How Murder Stalked a Tiny New York Town|E. Jean Carroll|April 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Venus orbits the Sun within the habitable zone, and is only slightly smaller than Earth.
What Does the Discovery of “Another Earth” Mean for Us?|Matthew R. Francis|April 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cassini observed, by the position of certain spots, the revolution of the planet Venus on its axis.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
See that silver spiral going out from Venus and around the table to the orbit of Saturn?
Fee of the Frontier|Horace Brown Fyfe
If it be true that Venus does not turn upon its axis, such is likely to be the case also with the planet Mercury.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
Two of the fathers were Mars and Anchises; and there are several other legends about the loves of Venus.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
Next beyond Mercury is Venus, a sphere only a little less in diameter than the earth.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler

British Dictionary definitions for Venus (1 of 2)

Venus¹

/ (ˈviːnəs) /

noun

the Roman goddess of loveGreek counterpart: Aphrodite

mount of Venus See mons veneris

British Dictionary definitions for Venus (2 of 2)

Venus²

/ (ˈviːnəs) /

noun

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

the alchemical name for copper 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Venus

Venus

[ vē′nəs ]

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. See Table at solar system.

Cultural definitions for Venus (1 of 2)

Venus

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

notes for Venus

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

Cultural definitions for Venus (2 of 2)

Venus

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.”)

notes for Venus

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