lotus
noun/ˈləʊtəs/
/ˈləʊtəs/
- a tropical plant with white or pink flowers that grows on the surface of lakes in Africa and Asia
- a lotus flower
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- a picture in the shape of the lotus plant, used in art and architecture, especially in ancient Egypt
- (in ancient Greek stories) a fruit that is supposed to make you feel happy and relaxed when you have eaten it, as if in a dream
Word Originlate 15th cent. (denoting a type of clover or trefoil, described by Homer as food for horses): via Latin from Greek lōtos, of Semitic origin. The term was used by classical writers to denote various trees and plants; the legendary plant (sense (3)), mentioned by Homer, was thought by later Greek writers to be Ziziphus lotus, a relative of the jujube plant found in Eurasia.
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