Lotus /(lō"tŭs)/

Lo·tus

Lotus

n.
  1. A name of several kinds of water lilies; as Nelumbium speciosum, used in religious ceremonies, anciently in Egypt, and to this day in Asia; Nelumbium luteum, the American lotus; and Nymphæa Lotus and Nymphæa cærulea, the respectively white-flowered and blue-flowered lotus of modern Egypt, which, with Nelumbium speciosum, are figured on its ancient monuments. (Bot.)
  2. An ornament much used in Egyptian architecture, generally asserted to have been suggested by the Egyptian water lily. (Arch.)

Phrases & Compounds
European lotus
a small tree (Diospyros Lotus) of Southern Europe and Asia; also, its rather large bluish black berry, which is called also the date plum.