the word 'tulip' entered english in the late 16th century via french 'tulipe' and modern latin 'tulipa'. it originates from turkish 'tülbent', meaning 'muslin' or 'gauze', which itself came from persian 'dulband', meaning 'turban'. the name was applied to the flower because the shape of its bloom was thought to resemble a turban. this journey from an article of clothing to a botanical term illustrates a classic case of semantic shift based on perceived visual resemblance.

the word 'tulip' is a simplex loanword. it does not contain separable morphemes in modern english.