ˈt(y)ülə̇p noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: New Latin tulipa, from Turkish tülbend turban; from the flower's resemblance to a turban — more at turban
1.
a.
(1) : any of various plants constituting the genus Tulipa and including many that have been so long cultivated for their showy flowers as to make it impossible to identify them surely with existing tulip species though the dwarf early types commonly are assigned to a species ( T. suaveolens ) while later taller forms are assigned to a species ( T. gesneriana ) — see cottage tulip , darwin tulip , lady tulip
(2) : a flower or bulb of a tulip
b. : any of various southern African plants of the genus Homeria (family Iridaceae) having flowers that resemble tulips and including several forms that are poisonous to cattle
2. : something felt to resemble a tulip: as
a. : a swelling of the metal of the muzzle of an old-fashioned gun
b.
(1) : a wineglass that in silhouette suggests the flower of a tulip
(2) : a style in women's dress in which a close waist and full tapered skirt suggests an inverted tulip