Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

painted lady

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.25 in modern English

Syllables: paint-ed la-dy
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of certain cryptic patterned butterflies of genus Vanessa (family Nymphalidae), especially Vanessa cardui.

noun

A painted trillium (Trillium undulatum), a forest wildflower of North America.

noun

A flower of the pea family (Gompholobium scabrum), native to southwestern Australia.

noun

A prostitute (in reference to their use of makeup).

Dated; Slang

noun

A Victorian house repainted with vibrant colors to accentuate the architectural design, especially in San Francisco, California.

American usage

noun

A sea snail (Phasianella australis).

Example Sentences

"In Cheyenne in 1883, a Dr. W.A. Wyan tried in vain to save painted lady Sallie Talbot."
"An archetypal American streetscape is lined with Aesthetic movement houses: Stick Style cottages with muscular roof trusses and exposed timbering; many-colored painted ladies with gingerbread porches; […]"

Usage

Dated
Slang
American usage

Inflected Forms

painted ladies (plural)

Synonyms

cosmopolite abandons alley cat almah bangtail Bankside lady bargirl bat beotch blouze blowen blowsabella

Questions

What does painted lady mean?: Any of certain cryptic patterned butterflies of genus Vanessa (family Nymphalidae), especially Vanessa cardui.

How to pronounce painted lady

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