painted lady

English

Noun

painted lady (plural painted ladies)

  1. Any of certain cryptic patterned butterflies of genus Vanessa (family Nymphalidae), especially Vanessa cardui.
    Synonym: cosmopolite (US)
  2. The painted trillium (Trillium undulatum), a forest wildflower of North America.
  3. (slang, dated or historical) a prostitute (in reference to their use of makeup)
    • 2011, Jan MacKell, Red Light Women of the Rocky Mountains, p. 348:
      In Cheyenne in 1883, a Dr. W.A. Wyan tried in vain to save painted lady Sallie Talbot.
  4. (US, architecture) A Victorian house repainted with vibrant colors to accentuate the architectural design, especially in San Francisco, California.
  5. The sea snail Phasianella australis.

Translations
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