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Plural of Lotus

by Craig Shrives

The Quick Answer

The plural of "lotus" is "loti" or "lotuses."

The Plural of Lotus

The plural of "lotus" is "lotuses" or "loti."

Lotuses are found in white and pink colors and they grow in shallow and murky waters.
Lotuses are symbols of purity and enlightenment.

The noun "lotus" has a Latin root, which is the derivation of the plural "loti." Through common usage, "lotuses" (which adheres to the standard rules for forming plurals) has become the more common plural.

The noun "lotus" adheres to the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English (shown in the table below).

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The Standard Rules for Forming the Plurals

The table below shows the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English.

Type	Example of Type	Forming the Plural	Plural
Most Nouns	lamp scythe	add s	lamps scythes
Noun Ending s, sh, ch, x or z	lotus dress	add es	lotuses dresses
Nouns ending [consonant] o	hero zero tomato	add either s or es (There are no rules for this - you have to know.)	heroes zeros tomatoes
Nouns ending [vowel] o	patio ratio	add s	patios ratios
Nouns ending [consonant] y	story penny	change the y to an i and add es	stories pennies
Nouns ending [vowel] y	donkey chimney	add s	donkeys chimneys
Nouns ending f or fe	dwarf hoof	ves and/or s (There are no rules - you have to know.)	dwarfs hooves or hoofs
Exceptions	man louse	some nouns undergo a vowel or letters change	men lice
More exceptions	salmon sheep	some nouns do not change at all	salmon sheep
Foreign rulings	lotus medium	some nouns adopt foreign rulings	loti media

Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Lotus?

Confusion arises over the plural of "lotus" because its original plural form ("loti") derives from Latin and native English speakers are drawn to "lotuses," which adheres to the standard ruling for forming plurals.

Both "lotuses" and "loti" are acceptable. Of note, "lotuses" is the more common plural. (See the evidence in Google's Ngram Viewer.)

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