lotus

[loh-tuh s] /ˈloʊ təs/
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.
Origin
1530-40; < Latin lōtus, lōtos < Greek lōtós the lotus plant, perh of Semitic orig.
Examples from the web for lotus
  • Wearing rotting lotus behind our ears, musk between our thighs.
  • Well my cactus don't look good with my lotus either.
  • There are papyrus leaves also, and mixed in with the lotus and those represent knowledge and rebirth.
  • Fortunately, the lotus-shaped marble carving on the central floor still remains.
  • Revelers eat traditional moon cakes filled with lotus seed and salted egg yolk, or one of many newer varieties.
  • Scientists have long praised the lotus leaf, better known as the water lily, for its water-resistant and self-cleaning properties.
  • The hall was dim and overflowed with hundreds of people folded in various lotus poses on rows of straw mats.
  • Soon afterward, a new lotus-shaped shrine was built with the herders' guns cemented inside.
  • Other levels involve flying though giant lotus flowers, or blowing up comets with swipes of cosmic energy.
  • He took a seat on a chair in the middle of the stage and tucked his legs up under him in the lotus position.
British Dictionary definitions for lotus

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
Also called (rare) lotos
Word Origin
C16: via Latin from Greek lōtos, from Semitic; related to Hebrew lōt myrrh
Word Origin and History for lotus
n.

1540s, from Latin lotus, from Greek lotos, name used for several plants before it came to mean Egyptian white lotus (a sense attested in English from 1580s); perhaps from a Semitic source (cf. Hebrew lot "myrrh"). The yogic sense is attested from 1848. Lotus-eaters (1812) are from Greek lotophagoi, mentioned in "Odyssey," book IX.