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 fruit2: any of various water lilies including several represented in ancient Egyptian and Hindu art and religious symbolism3 [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]