Lotus-eaters are mythical figures from Greek mythology who lived on an island and consumed the lotus flower, which induced a dreamy and peaceful state. Those who ate the lotus flowers would lose all desire to return home, becoming complacent and forgetful of their original purpose. The story of the Lotus-eaters is often used as a cautionary tale about the dangers of indulgence and apathy.
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 Nymphaea Lotus and N. caerulea, the respectively white-flowered and blue-flowered lotus of modern Egypt, which, with Nelumbium speciosum, are figured on its ancient monuments., The lotus of the lotuseaters, probably a tree found in Northern Africa, Sicily, Portugal, and Spain (Zizyphus Lotus), the fruit of which is mildly sweet. It was fabled by the ancients to make strangers who ate of it forget their native country, or lose all desire to return to it., The lote, or nettle tree. See Lote., A genus (Lotus) of leguminous plants much resembling clover., An ornament much used in Egyptian architecture, generally asserted to have been suggested by the Egyptian water lily.