Word.ws English Dictionary

ottoman

Syllables: ot·to·man/ˈɒtəmən//ˈɑtəmən/

ottoman noun: an upholstered sofa, without arms or a back, sometimes with a compartment for storing linen etc.

ottoman: an upholstered sofa, without arms or a back, sometimes with a compartment for storing linen etc
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Noun (1)

ottoman (countable and uncountable, plural ottomans)

  1. An upholstered sofa, without arms or a back, sometimes with a compartment for storing linen etc.
    • In the middle of the room there is a big ottoman; and this, with the carpet, the Morris wall-papers, and the Morris chintz window curtains and brocade covers of the ottoman and its cushions, supply all the ornament, and are much too handsome to be hidden by odds and ends of useless things.1912 (date written), [George] Bernard Shaw, “Pygmalion”, in Androcles and the Lion, Overruled, Pygmalion, London: Constable and Company, published 1916, →OCLC, Act III, page 144
    • These hefty features were on display together with dry-point engravings, marble busts, and mahogany whatnots, which the guests now squeezed between, plumping themselves down on over-stuffed ottomans beneath gleaming crystal electroliers.2015 July 26, Will Self, “Original short story: Architectural Salvage, by Will Self”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 11 Aug 2016
  2. A low stool or thick cushion used to rest the feet or as a seat.
    • This ottoman is set on casters, and is a great convenience for holding articles, while serving also as a seat.1869, Catherine E. Beecher, Harriet Beecher Stowe, The American Woman’s Home
  3. A fabric with a pronounced ribbed or corded effect, often made of silk or a mixture of cotton and silk-like yarns.

Proper noun (1) capitalized: Ottoman

Ottoman

  1. Osman I (d. 1323/4), founder of the Ottoman Empire.
    • In the beginning of this yere Sulton Solyman Pac called yͤ great Turke which was but the. viii. of the ligne of Ottoman, the firſt that toke vpō hym to be a great capitain or ruler […]1550, The Vnion of the Two Noble and Illustre Famelies of Lancastre and Yorke
    • Ottoman the firſte Emperour of this Turkiſhe nation, […]1560, A Famous Cronicle of Oure Time, Called Sleidanes Commentaries
  2. Osman II (1604–1622), sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1618 until his death.
    • And in the year 1618. (when Ottoman the ſecond (who ſucceeded his Uncle Muſtapha) was unſuccessful in his war againſt Poland, and was therefore ſlain by his Janizaries) […]1664, John Gadbury, Dies novissimus, page 36
    • After theſe reign'd […] Ottoman II. ſtrangled by the Janizaries, […]1701, “TURKS”, in The Great Historical, Geographical, Genealogical and Poetical Dictionary
  3. Osman III (1699–1757), sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1754 until his death.
    • Ottoman III.1781, J. S. Charrier, A New Description of Europe, table 31, page 3
    • […] the reign of Ottoman III (reigned 1754–57) after the death of Mahmut I.2004, Atsuyuki Okabe, Islamic Area Studies with Geographical Information Systems, page 170

Noun (2) capitalized: Ottoman

Ottoman (plural Ottomans)

  1. A member of the Ottoman dynasty.
    • […] the Ottomans were a dynasty like every other, subject to the same laws of the rise and fall of states.2006, Robert Dankoff, An Ottoman Mentality, page 243
    • is trump our first ottoman president?
      >gilded everything
      >retarded, constantly scheming sons
      >a harem of slavic wives
      >elaborate headgear2025 January 23, @escapefrommelos, X
  2. A citizen of the Ottoman Empire.
    • Nearly 250,000 Ottomans of various military ranks were taken captive by the Allied forces during World War I, which was referred to in Turkish variously as Büyük Harp, Cihan Harbi and Harb-i Umumi (or simply Seferberlik among the older generation of Turks) until World War II.2002, Yücel Yanikdağ, “Marginal men: Ottoman prisoners of war in the Great War”, in The Turkish Studies Association Journal, volume 26, number 2, →JSTOR, pages 39–46
    1. An ethnic Turk of the Ottoman Empire.

Adjective capitalized: Ottoman

Ottoman (not comparable)

  1. Of or relating to the Ottoman dynasty or the Ottoman Empire.
    1. Of or relating to the ethnic Turks of the Ottoman Empire.

Proper noun (2) capitalized: Ottoman

Ottoman

  1. The Ottoman Turkish language.
    • […] translated into Ottoman by a certain Mehmed Efendi […]1987, East encounters West, page 114
    • […] translated from Ottoman into Greek […]2009, Islamic Education in Europe, page 157

ottoman meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

ottoman in Hindi

Ottoman; Ottoman Turkish
उस्मानी usmānī

ottoman in Tamil

ஒட்டோமான், ஓட்டோமான், ஒட்டோமன்

ottoman in Marathi

ओट्टोमन, ओटोमन, ऑट्टोमन

ottoman in Urdu

Ottoman
عثمانی 'usmānī
More languagesFewer languages
ottoman in Bengali
ওসমানী osmanī
ottoman in Telugu
ఒట్టోమన్, ఒట్టోమాన్
ottoman in Malayalam
ഓട്ടോമൻ, ഒട്ടോമാൻ, ഓട്ടോമാൻ
ottoman in Kannada
ಒಟ್ಟೋಮನ್, ಒಟ್ಟೊಮನ್, ಒಟ್ಟೋಮಾನ್
ottoman in Punjabi
ਓਟੋਮਨ, ਓਟੋਮੈਨ, ਓਟੋਮਾਨ
ottoman in Gujarati
ઓટ્ટોમન, ઓટ્ટોમાન, ઓટ્ટોમેન
ottoman in Odia
ଅଟୋମାନ, ଅଟୋମାନ୍, ଓଟୋମାନ
ottoman in Nepali
ओटोमन, ओटोमान, ओटोम्यान

Synonyms of ottoman

3 more synonymsFewer synonyms

All synonyms of ottoman

Forms of ottoman

Noun
pluralottomans
pluralOttomans
Proper noun
alternative form (archaic)Otoman
alternative form (archaic)Othoman

Plural of ottoman: ottomans

Origin of ottoman

From Ottoman in the early 19th century; so named because reclining on a couch was associated with Middle Eastern customs.

Borrowed from Middle French Ottoman (“Osman”), borrowed from Italian Ottomano, borrowed from Arabic عُثْمَان (ʕuṯmān). Doublet of Osman and Uthman.

Ellipsis of Ottoman Turkish.

Words formed from ottoman

Phrases with ottoman

Questions about ottoman

What does ottoman mean?
Ottoman means an upholstered sofa, without arms or a back, sometimes with a compartment for storing linen etc.
What is ottoman in Hindi?
Ottoman in Hindi is उस्मानी (usmānī). See Ottoman meaning in Hindi.
What part of speech is ottoman?
Ottoman can be a noun, a proper noun or an adjective.
How do you pronounce ottoman?
Ottoman is pronounced /ˈɑtəmən/ (US).
What is the plural of ottoman?
The plural of ottoman is ottomans.

Words near ottoman in the dictionary

  1. otto of roses
  2. Ottokar
  3. Ottoline
  4. Ottomac
  5. Ottomacs
  6. ottoman
  7. Ottoman Empire
  8. Ottoman Turkic
  9. Ottoman Turkish
  10. Ottomanian
  11. Ottomanian Empire

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: ottoman (page history and authors); Ottoman (page history and authors); उस्मानी (Hindi) (page history and authors); ottoman (Tamil, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); ottoman (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); عثمانی (Urdu) (page history and authors); ওসমানী (Bengali) (page history and authors); ottoman (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); ottoman (Malayalam, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); ottoman (Kannada, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); ottoman (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); ottoman (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); ottoman (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); ottoman (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-ottoman.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Ottoman.wav.

Cite this entry: “ottoman.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/ottoman. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.