Lotos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of aquatic plant known for its large, round leaves and flowers, often associated with beauty and serenity in various cultures
2. A flowering plant commonly found in water, symbolizing purity and rebirth in art and literature
3. A genus of plants thriving in aquatic environments, recognized for its striking blossoms that rise above the surface of the water

Etymology: The word arrived in English by way of Latin "lotos," which in turn took it from Greek "lōtos," a name used for several plants with edible fruit. The Greek writer Herodotus describes a "lotus-eating" people in North Africa whose fruit was so sweet that travellers who tasted it forgot their homeland, and the same legend later fed Homer's Odyssey, where Lotus-eaters lull Odysseus's men into forgetfulness. Ancient authors were not describing the water plant we now call lotus, so the aquatic sense is a later extension of the name. The word has a close relative in English. "Lote" came into the language through Old French and shares the same ancient source, making the two a doublet: separate borrowings of one word that entered English by different routes and took on different shapes. "Lote" survived mainly for the fruiting trees and shrubs of the classical world, while "lotus" settled on the aquatic plant.

Synonyms: lotus, water lily