Venus

noun

Ve·​nus ˈvē-nəs 

1

: the Roman goddess of love and beauty compare aphrodite

2

: the planet second in order from the sun see Planets Table

Examples of Venus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Enroute to the sun, the probe serendipitously also caught rare closeups of passing comets and shed light on how Venus, Earth's hellish twin, may have lost its water. —Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 27 Dec. 2024

Since it was launched, Parker has been using flybys of Venus to gravitationally pull it into a tighter orbit with the sun. —CBS News, 27 Dec. 2024

Designed to orbit the sun in highly elliptical loops, Parker uses Venus's gravity to accelerate and adjust its path for close encounters with the solar corona. —David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Dec. 2024

Here sky gazers can see the Milky Way; Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn (all without a telescope); various constellations and, in the winter, the northern lights. —Nile Cappello, AFAR Media, 27 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin Vener-, Venus, deified abstraction from an originally neuter common noun venus "sexual desire, qualities exciting desire, charm"; akin to Sanskrit vanate "(s/he) likes, takes pleasure in," -vana- "loving," vāñchati "(s/he) desires, wishes," Old English wȳscan "to wish," wunian "to remain, dwell," Old Norse una "to be satisfied"

Note: Latin venus, as probably also Vedic Sanskrit vanas-, a hapax legomenon of uncertain meaning, is an s-stem derivative from a verbal base going back to Indo-European *wenH- "wish, desire," most likely distinct from *wen- "struggle, gain"; see win entry 1.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Venus

• Venus flytrap
• Venus hair
• Venus hair fern
• Venus's flower-basket

Kids Definition

Venus

noun

Ve·​nus ˈvē-nəs 

: the planet second in order from the sun see planet