lotus tree

9.1

A small tree from countries around the Mediterranean that has fruit and is in old myths

noun
/ˈloʊtəs tri/

Literature

: árbol de loto

The ancient Greeks believed that eating the fruit of the lotus tree brought forgetfulness.

Examples

The lotus tree is known for its beautiful blossoms.
We saw a lotus tree growing near the edge of the village, its fruit hanging in clusters.
Botanists still debate the true identity of the mythical lotus tree mentioned in ancient texts.
Have you ever seen a lotus tree in bloom?
In the Mediterranean, the lotus tree produces sweet fruits that attract many birds.
The ancient Greeks often mentioned the lotus tree in their myths about paradise.
Among the shrubs in her garden, she planted a lotus tree to enjoy its unique fruits.

Synonyms

tree

vslotus tree

∞ 1.0

A tall plant with a single trunk and many branches and leaves

is a Mediterranean deciduous shrub tied to ancient stories instead of general plant class

Ziziphus lotus

vslotus tree

Specialized

9.9

A small thorny tree from the Mediterranean with edible fruit

is a Mediterranean shrub tied to ancient myth rather than scientific naming

Surface Forms

lotus tree singular

lotus trees plural

Morphology

Lotus + tree

The compound 'lotus tree' is directly compositional: 'lotus' names a plant/flower and 'tree' specifies a type of plant, so the phrase denotes a tree associated with or named for the lotus. This noun–noun naming pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent; although botanical specifics (e.g. identification with jujube) are specialist knowledge, a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the basic meaning.

Etymology

Lotus tree comes from old stories about a tree whose sweet fruit made people forget their homes and want to stay where they were. In these tales people who ate the fruit grew calm and dreamy, so the name now brings the idea of a mythic tree that causes 'forgetfulness'.