Dictionary entry

Tulip

Webster's Dictionary 1913

Tu″lip (?), n. [F. tulipe, OF. also tulipan, It. tulipano, tulipa, from Turk. tulbend, dulbend, literally, a turban, Per. dulband; — so called from the resemblance of the form of this flower to a turban. See Turban.] (Bot.) Any plant of the liliaceous genus Tulipa. Many varieties are cultivated for their beautiful, often variegated flowers.

Tulip tree. (a) A large American tree bearing tuliplike flowers. See Liriodendron. (b) A West Indian malvaceous tree (Paritium, orHibiscus, tiliaceum).