The Function of Tulip from Dictionary Sense to Symbolic Meaning

Symbol is a sign not only refers to its sense but also to some contents beyond its literal meaning. To be more exact about the symbols, they are cited into the dictionaries by their literal sense, not by their innovative content in the aesthetic domain of poetry. This paper aims to explain the contrast between the sense of the symbols in the dictionaries and their novel meaning in the poetry of different period of time in terms of the various styles. In this research, a short introduction about the symbols as well as a literature review about the herbal symbols in the both eastern and western cultures is going to be rendered from philosophical, psychological and mythologist point of views. Then, the significance of the symbolic meaning and function of the words is discussed, while the meaning of tulip and its metaphoric extension is determined to be mentioned based on Manouchehri, Saadi, Saib and Sepehri’s poetry due to their being representatives for different poetic styles, such as Khorasani, Iraqi, Indian and modern poetry. The purpose of this investigation is to illustrate the semantic evolution of a word from its bounded sense to its extended and symbolic function. What is more, it aims to be evidence for the literary and artistic capacities and possibilities which leads to the creation and extension of the word’s meaning.