Adjacent Words

painted lady definitions

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Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 1753 1. a migratory nymphalid butterfly (Vanessa cardui) with wings mottled in brown, orange, black, and white 2. prostitute 1a

Britannica Concise

Either of two species of butterflies in the genus Vanessa (family Nymphalidae): V. cardui of Africa and Europe or V. virginiensis of N. and Central America. They have broad, elaborately patterned wings of reddish orange, brown, white, and blue. In spring, vast numbers of V. cardui travel thousands of miles across the Mediterranean from Africa to Europe. A few members of the subsequent generation travel south in late summer, but most perish in the N winter. N. Amer. painted ladies travel in spring from NW Mexico to the Mojave Desert and sometimes as far as Canada. Their larvae eat plants in the aster family; V. cardui larvae eat thistles and stinging nettles.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Painted Paint"ed, a. 1. Covered or adorned with paint; portrayed in colors. As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean. --Coleridge. 2. (Nat. Hist.) Marked with bright colors; as, the painted turtle; painted bunting. Painted beauty (Zo["o]l.), a handsome American butterfly (Vanessa Huntera), having a variety of bright colors, Painted cup (Bot.), any plant of an American genus of herbs (Castilleia) in which the bracts are usually bright-colored and more showy than the flowers. Castilleia coccinea has brilliantly scarlet bracts, and is common in meadows. Painted finch. See Nonpareil. Painted lady (Zo["o]l.), a bright-colored butterfly. See Thistle butterfly. Painted turtle (Zo["o]l.), a common American freshwater tortoise (Chrysemys picta), having bright red and yellow markings beneath.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thistle This"tle, n. [OE. thistil, AS. [thorn]istel; akin to D. & G. distel, OHG. distila, distil, Icel. [thorn]istill, Sw. tistel, Dan. tidsel; of uncertain origin.] (Bot.) Any one of several prickly composite plants, especially those of the genera Cnicus, Craduus, and Onopordon. The name is often also applied to other prickly plants. Blessed thistle, Carduus benedictus, so named because it was formerly considered an antidote to the bite of venomous creatures. Bull thistle, Cnicus lanceolatus, the common large thistle of neglected pastures. Canada thistle, Cnicus arvensis, a native of Europe, but introduced into the United States from Canada. Cotton thistle, Onopordon Acanthium. Fuller's thistle, the teasel. Globe thistle, Melon thistle, etc. See under Globe, Melon, etc. Pine thistle, Atractylis gummifera, a native of the Mediterranean region. A vicid gum resin flows from the involucre. Scotch thistle, either the cotton thistle, or the musk thistle, or the spear thistle; -- all used national emblems of Scotland. Sow thistle, Sonchus oleraceus. Spear thistle. Same as Bull thistle. Star thistle, a species of Centaurea. See Centaurea. Torch thistle, a candelabra-shaped plant of the genus Cereus. See Cereus. Yellow thistle, Cincus horridulus. Thistle bird (Zo["o]l.), the American goldfinch, or yellow-bird (Spinus tristis); -- so called on account of its feeding on the seeds of thistles. See Illust. under Goldfinch. Thistle butterfly (Zo["o]l.), a handsomely colored American butterfly (Vanessa cardui) whose larva feeds upon thistles; -- called also painted lady. Thistle cock (Zo["o]l.), the corn bunting (Emberiza militaria). [Prov. Eng.] Thistle crown, a gold coin of England of the reign of James I., worth four shillings. Thistle finch (Zo["o]l.), the goldfinch; -- so called from its fondness for thistle seeds. [Prov. Eng.] Thistle funnel, a funnel having a bulging body and flaring mouth.