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lotus

Pronunciation: /ˈləʊtəs/

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Definition of lotus

noun

1either of two large water lilies:
- (also sacred lotus) a red-flowered Asian lily (Nelumbo nucifera, family Nelumbonaceae). (also Egyptian lotus) a lily regarded as sacred in ancient Egypt (the white-flowered Nymphaea lotus and the blue-flowered N. caerulea, family Nymphaeaceae).

2 Greek Mythology a plant whose fruit induced a dreamy forgetfulness and an unwillingness to leave.

3the flower of the sacred lotus as a symbol in Asian art and religion: a myth of creation states that Buddha was born of a thousand-petalled gold lotus

Origin:

late 15th century (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 (lotus (sense 2)), mentioned by Homer, was thought by later Greek writers to be Ziziphus lotus, a relative of the jujube

lotus in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of lotus in the US English dictionary

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