painted lady

plural painted ladies

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

   Synonyms: cosmopolite

2. A painted trillium (Trillium undulatum), a forest wildflower of North America.
3. A flower of the pea family (Gompholobium scabrum), native to southwestern Australia.
4. datedhistoricalslangA prostitute (in reference to their use of makeup).

   In Cheyenne in 1883, a Dr. W.A. Wyan tried in vain to save painted lady Sallie Talbot.

   2011, Jan MacKell, Red Light Women of the Rocky Mountains, page 348

   Synonyms: abandons, alley cat, almah, bangtail, Bankside lady, bargirl, bat, beotch

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

   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; […]

   2006, Karen Zukowski, Creating the Artful Home, Gibbs Smith, →ISBN, page 80

6. A sea snail (Phasianella australis).