Lotus-Eater
/ˈloʊtəs ˌiːtər/noun
A person who is idle, dreamy, or detached from practical concerns.
Did you know?The phrase comes from Homer’s Odyssey, where the lotus people’s fruit makes sailors lose all desire to return, turning a plant into a symbol of enchanted forgetfulness.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
λωτοφάγος (lōtophágos)
“Lotus-eating; a people in Homer who lived on lotus fruit”
8th Century BCE
Greek
λῶτος (lōtos)
“A lotus or a lotus-like plant”
Late 8th Century BCE
Greek
Ὀδύσσεια (Odýsseia)
“Homer’s epic describing the Lotus-Eaters as a people who induce forgetfulness”
Late Old English / Middle English
English
lotus-eater
“A person who lives in dreamy indolence or passive pleasure”
Modern English
English
lotus-eater
“A carefree, self-indulgent, or impractically detached person”
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