tulip
Meaning
a brightly colored spring flower with a cup-shaped blossom.
Usage
the garden was a vibrant sea of red and yellow tulips in the spring.
she received a beautiful bouquet of purple tulips for her birthday.
the netherlands is famous for its vast fields of cultivated tulips.
Etymology
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.
Analysis
the word 'tulip' is a simplex loanword. it does not contain separable morphemes in modern english.