noun
Vanessa
vuh-NEH-suh
noun
1
A butterfly of the genus Vanessa, which includes species such as the painted lady and red admiral.
"A vanessa fluttered past, its orange and black wings catching the afternoon light."
How to Use Vanessa
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishBest known today as a given name, though it's also the scientific genus name for a group of colorful butterflies.
Word Forms
vanessas plural
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “Vanessa”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
A _____ fluttered past, its orange and black wings catching the afternoon light.
Etymology
Invented in the early 1700s by the writer Jonathan Swift as a pet name for his friend Esther Vanhomrigh — he took "Van" from her surname and added "-essa." The name later attached to the butterfly genus as well.