Definition of: lotus

(lō′təs) noun
1. One of various Old World plants of the waterlily family, noted for their large floating leaves and showy flowers; especially, the white and blue lotus of the Nile (respectively Nymphaea lotus, and N. caerulea); also, the sacred lotus of India Nelumbium nelumbo) with fragrant pink or rose flowers.
2. The lotus tree.
3. Any of a genus (Lotus) of herbs or shrubs of the bean family.
4. Archit. A representation or conventionalization of the lotus flower, bud, or leaves. Also lo′tos. [<L <Gk. lōtos]
LOTUS
a. Bud and leaf.
b. Blossom and leaf.
c. Stylized lotus in Egyptian architecture and ornament.