Va-nĕs'să, n.

n. [Probably from Swift's poem of Cadenus and Vanessa, in which the Dean (Decanus, by transposition Cadenus) tells the story of his love for Esther (Essa) Vanhomrigh.] (Entom.) A genus of lepidopterous insects, including many beautiful species of butterflies. The larvæ of some species are injurious to trees, vines, and the like.