Search Result for "vesta": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (2)

1. (Roman mythology) goddess of the hearth and its fire whose flame was tended by vestal virgins; counterpart of Greek Hestia;

2. the brightest asteroid but the fourth to be discovered;


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Vesta \Ves"ta\ (v[e^]s"t[.a]), n. [L. Vesta, akin to Gr. "Esti`a Vesta, "esti`a the hearth of the house, and perhaps to Skr. ush to burn (see East), or perhaps to Skr. vas to dwell, and E. was.] 1. (Rom. Myth.) One of the great divinities of the ancient Romans, identical with the Greek Hestia. She was a virgin, and the goddess of the hearth; hence, also, of the fire on it, and the family round it. [1913 Webster] 2. (Astron.) An asteroid, or minor planet, discovered by Olbers in 1807. [1913 Webster] 3. A wax friction match. --Simmonds. [1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

Vesta n 1: (Roman mythology) goddess of the hearth and its fire whose flame was tended by vestal virgins; counterpart of Greek Hestia 2: the brightest asteroid but the fourth to be discovered