lotus

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun native to eastern Asia; widely cultivated for its large pink or white flowers
  2. noun annual or perennial herbs or subshrubs
  3. noun white Egyptian lotus: water lily of Egypt to southeastern Africa; held sacred by the Egyptians

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin lōtus, from Ancient Greek λωτός (lōtós). Doublet of lote. First attested in the 1540s. Ultimately from Hebrew לוֹט (lōṭ, “myrrh”, literally “covering, envelope”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

Indian lotus, sacred lotus, Nelumbo nucifera

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