1. Plural of lotus; aquatic plants with large floating leaves and showy flowers, native to Asia and Africa.
Usage: Most common in botanical and horticultural contexts.
2. In classical mythology, a legendary plant whose fruit induces forgetfulness and dreamy contentment.
Usage: Literary and mythological reference; from Homer's Odyssey.

Examples

• The pond was filled with beautiful pink and white lotoses in full bloom.
• Ancient Egyptian art frequently depicted lotoses as sacred symbols.
• The gardener cultivated several varieties of lotoses in the water garden.
• In Homer's Odyssey, the lotus-eaters consumed lotoses and forgot their homeland.
• Lotoses are popular ornamental plants in Asian landscape design.