/vee"neuhs/ , n. , pl. Venuses for 2.
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 l.c. ) Archaeol. 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. Astron. the planet second in order from the sun, having an equatorial diameter of 7521 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. See table under planet .
5. Chem. Obs. copper.
[ Venus, s. Vener- orig. a neut. common n. meaning "physical desire, sexual appetite," hence "qualities exciting desire, seductiveness, charm," "a goddess personifying sexual attractiveness"; c. Skt vanah desire, akin to WISH; cf. VENERATE, VENOM ]