\Ve"nus\, n. [L. Venus, -eris, the goddess of love, the
planet Venus.]
1. (Class. Myth.) The goddess of beauty and love, that is,
   beauty or love deified.
2. (Anat.) One of the planets, the second in order from the
   sun, its orbit lying between that of Mercury and that of
   the Earth, at a mean distance from the sun of about
   67,000,000 miles. Its diameter is 7,700 miles, and its
   sidereal period 224.7 days. As the morning star, it was
   called by the ancients {Lucifer}; as the evening star,
   {Hesperus}.
3. (Alchem.) The metal copper; -- probably so designated from
   the ancient use of the metal in making mirrors, a mirror
   being still the astronomical symbol of the planet Venus.
   [Archaic]
4. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of marine bivalve
   shells of the genus {Venus} or family {Venerid[ae]}. Many
   of these shells are large, and ornamented with beautiful
   frills; others are smooth, glossy, and handsomely colored.
   Some of the larger species, as the round clam, or quahog,
   are valued for food.
{Venus's basin} (Bot.), the wild teasel; -- so called because
   the connate leaf bases form a kind of receptacle for
   water, which was formerly gathered for use in the toilet.
   Also called {Venus's bath}.
{Venus's basket} (Zo["o]l.), an elegant, cornucopia-shaped,
   hexactinellid sponge ({Euplectella speciosa}) native of
   the East Indies. It consists of glassy, transparent,
   siliceous fibers interwoven and soldered together so as to
   form a firm network, and has long, slender, divergent
   anchoring fibers at the base by means of which it stands
   erect in the soft mud at the bottom of the sea. Called
   also {Venus's flower basket}, and {Venus's purse}.
{Venus's comb}.
   (a) (Bot.) Same as {Lady's comb}.
   (b) (Zo["o]l.) A species of {Murex} ({M. tenuispinus}). It
       has a long, tubular canal, with a row of long, slender
       spines along both of its borders, and rows of similar
       spines covering the body of the shell. Called also
       {Venus's shell}.
{Venus's fan} (Zo["o]l.), a common reticulated, fanshaped
   gorgonia ({Gorgonia flabellum}) native of Florida and the
   West Indies. When fresh the color is purple or yellow, or
   a mixture of the two.
{Venus's flytrap}. (Bot.) See {Flytrap}, 2.
{Venus's girdle} (Zo["o]l.), a long, flat, ribbonlike, very
   delicate, transparent and iridescent ctenophore ({Cestum
   Veneris}) which swims in the open sea. Its form is due to
   the enormous development of two spheromeres. See Illust.
   in Appendix.
{Venus's hair} (Bot.), a delicate and graceful fern
   ({Adiantum Capillus-Veneris}) having a slender, black and
   shining stem and branches.
{Venus's hair stone} (Min.), quartz penetrated by acicular
   crystals of rutile.
{Venus's looking-glass} (Bot.), an annual plant of the genus
   {Specularia} allied to the bellflower; -- also called
   {lady's looking-glass}.
{Venus's navelwort} (Bot.), any one of several species of
   {Omphalodes}, low boraginaceous herbs with small blue or
   white flowers.
{Venus's pride} (Bot.), an old name for Quaker ladies. See
   under {Quaker}.
{Venus's purse}. (Zo["o]l.) Same as {Venus's basket}, above.
{Venus's shell}. (Zo["o]l.)
   (a) Any species of Cypr[ae]a; a cowrie.
   (b) Same as {Venus's comb}, above.
   (c) Same as {Venus}, 4.
{Venus's slipper}.
   (a) (Bot.) Any plant of the genus {Cypripedium}. See
       {Lady's slipper}.
   (b) (Zo["o]l.) Any heteropod shell of the genus
       {Carinaria}. See {Carinaria}.