lotus

[loh-tuhs]

noun

plural

lotuses 

1. a plant believed to be a jujube or elm, referred to in Greek legend as yielding a fruit that induced a state of dreamy and contented forgetfulness in those who ate it.

2. the fruit itself.

3. any aquatic plant of the genus Nelumbo, of the water lily family, having shieldlike leaves and showy, solitary flowers usually projecting above the water.

4. any of several water lilies of the genus Nymphaea.

5. a decorative motif derived from such a plant and used widely in ancient art, as on the capitals of Egyptian columns.

6. any shrubby plant of the genus Lotus, of the legume family, having red, pink, yellow, or white flowers.

lotus

/ ˈləʊtəs /

noun

1. (in Greek mythology) a fruit that induces forgetfulness and a dreamy languor in those who eat it

2. the plant bearing this fruit, thought to be the jujube, the date, or any of various other plants

3. any of several water lilies of tropical Africa and Asia, esp the white lotus ( Nymphaea lotus ), which was regarded as sacred in ancient Egypt

4. a similar plant, Nelumbo nucifera, which is the sacred lotus of India, China, and Tibet and also sacred in Egypt: family Nelumbonaceae

5. a representation of such a plant, common in Hindu, Buddhist, and ancient Egyptian carving and decorative art

6. any leguminous plant of the genus Lotus, of the Old World and North America, having yellow, pink, or white pealike flowers

Word History and Origins

Origin of lotus¹

1530–40; < Latin lōtus, lōtos < Greek lōtós the lotus plant, perhaps of Semitic origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of lotus¹

C16: via Latin from Greek lōtos, from Semitic; related to Hebrew lōt myrrh

Example Sentences

Soon after, Greene’s work filled nearly every room of his former Palos Verdes home: lamps, shelves, an altar, an armoire adorned with a lotus flower.

From Los Angeles Times

"People in my village use the petals of lotus flowers for religious offerings. But their stems often go to waste and that's what I wanted to change and thought of doing something sustainable," she says.

From BBC

The event is timed with the blooming of the lake’s iconic lotus flowers, which was once the largest outside Asia.

From Los Angeles Times

It is punctuated by archways and windows inspired by the curves and points of a lotus flower — the flower that by lore grows out of the mud.

From Los Angeles Times

It features stylised lotus flowerheads and leaf scrolls with red flower motifs against a white background.

From BBC