Nelumbium
/nɪˈlʌm.bi.əm/noun
A former botanical genus name for lotus plants, now generally treated as a synonym of Nelumbo.
Did you know?Nelumbium was an older scientific name for the lotus, whose flower rising cleanly from muddy water made it a powerful symbol of spiritual transformation in Hindu and Buddhist traditions.
Etymological Timeline
19th Century
English
Nelumbium
“A botanical genus name for lotus plants.”
18th Century
New Latin
Nelumbium
“A taxonomic formation used for the lotus genus.”
18th Century
New Latin
Nelumbo
“The botanical genus now containing the sacred and American lotuses.”
Earlier usage
South Asian languages
nelum
“A lotus; the source associated with the botanical name.”
Modern English
English
nelumbium
“An obsolete or less-used name for a lotus, especially in historical botanical writing.”