Main Entry: lo·tus

Pronunciation: \ˈlō-təs\

Function: noun

Etymology: Latin & Greek; Latin lotus, from Greek lōtos

Date: circa 1541

1also lo·tos \ˈlō-təs\ : a fruit eaten by the lotus-eaters and considered to cause indolence and dreamy contentment; also : a tree (as Zizyphus lotus of the buckthorn family) reputed to bear this fruit
2 : any of various water lilies including several represented in ancient Egyptian and Hindu art and religious symbolism
3 [New Latin, from Latin] a : any of a genus (Lotus) of widely distributed upright herbs or subshrubs of the legume family b : sweet clover

[lotus illustration]