lotus
Americannoun
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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.
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the fruit itself.
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any aquatic plant of the genus Nelumbo, of the water lily family, having shieldlike leaves and showy, solitary flowers usually projecting above the water.
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any of several water lilies of the genus Nymphaea.
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a decorative motif derived from such a plant and used widely in ancient art, as on the capitals of Egyptian columns.
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any shrubby plant of the genus Lotus, of the legume family, having red, pink, yellow, or white flowers.
noun
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(in Greek mythology) a fruit that induces forgetfulness and a dreamy languor in those who eat it
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the plant bearing this fruit, thought to be the jujube, the date, or any of various other plants
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any of several water lilies of tropical Africa and Asia, esp the white lotus ( Nymphaea lotus ), which was regarded as sacred in ancient Egypt
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a similar plant, Nelumbo nucifera, which is the sacred lotus of India, China, and Tibet and also sacred in Egypt: family Nelumbonaceae
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a representation of such a plant, common in Hindu, Buddhist, and ancient Egyptian carving and decorative art
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any leguminous plant of the genus Lotus, of the Old World and North America, having yellow, pink, or white pealike flowers
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lotus
1530–40; < Latin lōtus, lōtos < Greek lōtós the lotus plant, perhaps of Semitic origin
Vocabulary lists containing lotus
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
One is a lotus made of lab-grown diamonds and a tiny gold rocket with micro-sculptures of three of India's best-known scientists.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The landscape includes large areas of rice paddies along with lotus fields, cultivated cropland, and pastureland.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 2026
"There is a Buddhist saying that the lotus blooms from the mud," Lee said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026
An even older icon awaits at Phnom Penh, a 40-year-old Vietnamese-Cambodian restaurant where crowds eagerly wait their turn to try nearly-raw marinated butter beef and lotus root sautéed with chilies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 27, 2025
It was a square wooden box of teak, thick and well made, with beautiful lotus carvings on the top.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
Spectacular celadons in forms that imitate lotuses, gourds or melons decorated with delicate inlaid and under-carved designs demonstrate peak Goryeo dynasty craftsmanship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
Plum blossom is a well-liked flower known in China for persevering amid harshness, while lotuses convey peace in the Chinese language.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 10, 2023
The lilies and lotuses that stirred Mr. Stella grow on the banks of a little lake, edged with wavy swaths of waterlilies, with dark green pads and white blooms.
From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2022
That's his way of transforming photographic studies of cathedrals and lotuses into something utterly subjective.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 25, 2022
He felt the grooves and ridges of a carving and knew it was the lotuses on the lid.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
