Euplectella speciosa

Venus \Ve"nus\ (v[=e]"n[u^]s), 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.
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   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}.
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   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.
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   4. (Zool.) Any one of numerous species of marine bivalve
      shells of the genus {Venus} or family {Veneridae}. 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.
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   {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} (Zool.), 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) (Zool.) A species of {Murex} ({Murex 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} (Zool.), 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} (Zool.), 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}. (Zool.) Same as {Venus's basket}, above.

   {Venus's shell}. (Zool.)
      (a) Any species of Cypraea; 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) (Zool.) Any heteropod shell of the genus {Carinaria}.
          See {Carinaria}.
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