English Reference

Word

tulip

US/ˈtuɫəp/

UK/tjˈuːlɪp/

Definition

n. a bright, cup-shaped flower that grows from a bulb in the spring. They come in many colors and are very popular in gardens.

n. a bulbous spring-flowering plant of the lily family, characterized by large, cup-shaped flowers on a tall stem.

Examples

“She planted a red tulip in the garden.”

“Every spring, the park is filled with thousands of blooming tulips in every imaginable color.”

“During the seventeenth century, the tulip became a symbol of extreme wealth and status, leading to a famous period of economic speculation known as Tulip Mania.”

Examples

simple

“She planted a red tulip in the garden.”

contextual

“Every spring, the park is filled with thousands of blooming tulips in every imaginable color.”

complex

“During the seventeenth century, the tulip became a symbol of extreme wealth and status, leading to a famous period of economic speculation known as Tulip Mania.”

Etymology

From Middle French tulipe, from earlier tulipan, from Ottoman Turkish دلبند (tülbent, dülbent, “cheesecloth”), from Classical Persian دلبند (dulband, “turban”). Doublet of turban.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Idioms

tulip mania — Any asset bubble (such as a stock bubble), especially when the irony of human folly that it illustrates is being emphasized.

Domain

Religion

This entry

Level
A2 · Elementary
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

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English Reference