Tulip Means Turban
A tulip is a spring bulb flower. Its name comes from a Persian word for turban, and it once caused a financial mania.
A tulip is a bulb plant with a cup-shaped flower. The name comes from Persian *dulband*, a turban, through Turkish — the flower was thought to resemble one — and the same word gave English *turban* directly. Two English words, one Persian headdress. Tulip mania in the Dutch Republic of the 1630s is often called the first speculative bubble: single rare bulbs traded for the price of a house before the market collapsed in 1637.
- A bulb flower. *A red tulip.*
- Turban — the same word. *A turban.*
- Tulip mania — the 1630s bubble. *Tulip mania.*
- Persian — *dulband*, a turban. *The source.*
- Bulb — how it grows. *A tulip bulb.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | tulip | A tulip. |
| Plural | tulips | Tulips. |
| Related | turban | A turban. |
| Turkish | tülbent | Muslin, turban. |
| Persian | dulband | A turban. |
- The tulips opened in April.Garden.
- Tulip and turban are one word.Etymology.
- The bubble burst in 1637.History.
About tulip mania
- Rare striped bulbs were the most prized
- The stripes were caused by a virus, unknown at the time
- Contracts traded for bulbs still in the ground
- Prices collapsed suddenly in February 1637
- Its scale is debated — some historians think the mania was exaggerated by later writers
French *tulipe*, from Turkish *tülbent*, from Persian *dulband*, a turban, from the flower's shape.
Are tulip and turban the same word?
Yes. Both come from Persian dulband through Turkish, one for the flower's shape and one for the headdress itself.
What caused the prized tulip stripes?
A virus, unknown at the time. The infection produced the flamed patterns collectors paid most for.