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• Ottoman
  Ottoman

  adjective

  of or relating to the Ottoman Empire.
• ottoman
  ottoman

  noun

Ottoman

American  

[ot-uh-muhn] / ˈɒt ə mən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the Ottoman Empire.

2. of or relating to the lands, peoples, and possessions of the Ottoman Empire.

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noun

Ottomans plural

1. a Turk.

2. a Turk of the family or tribe of Osman.

3. (lowercase) a cushioned footstool.

4. (lowercase) a low cushioned seat without back or arms.

5. (lowercase) a kind of divan or sofa, with or without a back.

6. (lowercase) a corded silk or rayon fabric with large cotton cord for filling.

ottoman ¹ British  

/ ˈɒtəmən /

noun

1. 1. a low padded seat, usually armless, sometimes in the form of a chest

   2. a cushioned footstool

2. a corded fabric

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Ottoman ² British  

/ ˈɒtəmən /

adjective

1. history of or relating to the Ottomans or the Ottoman Empire

2. denoting or relating to the Turkish language

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noun

1. a member of a Turkish people who invaded the Near East in the late 13th century

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Ottomanlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Ottomans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Ottoman

1575–85; < French < Italian ottomano, after the founder of the empire ( Arabic ʿuthmān ); Ottoman defs. 5, 6, 7, 8 < French ottomane (feminine)

Explanation

Your dad's favorite cushioned spot to rest his feet can be referred to as an ottoman — it's also known as a hassock or a footstool. This word may conjure anything from a vast empire to a footstool — it's all the same word, ultimately from the Arabic personal name Othman (which loses a lot, soundwise, in translation). The puffy footstools known as ottomans were allegedly originally a component of said empire's comforts.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Ottoman ottoman Ottomans

Rothschild, who had already spent years financing agricultural colonies in Ottoman Palestine, regarded Herzl as an energetic but naive dreamer ignorant of the difficult realities on the ground.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

Croatian band Lelek also wore face paint, with symbols representing the resistance of Catholic women during the Ottoman Empire, a topic they addressed with haunting folkloric harmonies on their song Andromeda.

From BBC ● May 17, 2026

Pretzel’s lore intensified amid the Siege of Vienna in 1529, when the Ottoman Empire attempted to capture the city by digging extensive lines of trenches.

From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2026

Turkey is now seeking the repatriation of other antiquities taken during the Ottoman era: an ancient marble torso called the "Old Fisherman" from Berlin, and dozens of Iznik tiles held at France's Louvre museum.

From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026

It bears no sign that it was once pierced with an Ottoman dagger.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

A chair he designed is known as the Platner chair and still sells, with its ottoman, for as much as $18,000.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

We would also lose one of TV’s most unforgettable opening sequences highlighted by Van Dyke’s Rob Petrie tumbling over an ottoman, then springing to his feet with a grin.

From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2025

Bring the indoors outdoors with this adorable outdoor ottoman from the spring and summer collection from Roche Bobois.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2024

I went upstairs a few hours later to wake her so she could sleep that night, and I found her slumped over an ottoman.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 2023

She reaches behind the ottoman and pulls out the most amazing mask.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

For thousands of years, the ancient city of Sardis in western Turkey changed hands as Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans rose and fell.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026

Since the days of ancient Persia, successive world powers including the Greeks, Ottomans and Portuguese sought to control the strait.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026

Ottomans provide storage not only for Hedda’s guns but also for her secrets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026

"Stanley came to appreciate the social and the spiritual benefits Islam provided the Ottomans," Gilham said.

From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2026

In the middle of the fourteenth century the way was opened for the Ottomans to advance into Europe.

From The Roman Empire in the Light of Prophecy The Rise, Progress, and End of the Fourth World-empire by Vine, W. E.