janissary

American  

[jan-uh-ser-ee] / ˈdʒæn əˌsɛr i /

Also janizary

noun

• janissaries
  plural

1. (often initial capital letter) a member of an elite military unit of the Turkish army organized in the 14th century and abolished in 1826 after it revolted against the Sultan.

2. (often initial capital letter) any soldier in the Turkish army.

3. a member of any group of loyal guards, soldiers, or supporters.

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janissary British  

/ ˈdʒænɪsərɪ, ˈdʒænɪzərɪ /

noun

1. an infantryman in the Turkish army, originally a member of the sovereign's personal guard, from the 14th to the early 19th century

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• janissaries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of janissary

1520–30; < French janissaire < Italian gian ( n ) izzero < Turkish yeniçeri, equivalent to yeni new + çeri soldiery, militia

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Explanation

A janissary is a devoted follower or steadfast ally. The people chanting supportively and waving signs at political rallies are usually the candidate's janissaries. Today's janissary is a hardcore supporter, someone whose priorities and opinions align with a particular person or group. The original meaning of the word, also spelled janizary or janisary, was "elite Turkish soldier," from a root that means "new troops." The earliest janissaries, in the 13th century, were mostly composed of war prisoners or slaves — rather than being devoted to a cause, they were forced to support it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

janissary janissaries

However, the older janissary corps resisted his efforts.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2012

Bork became a self-proclaimed "janissary" to Director, a loyal soldier who became a fellow in Chicago's "law and economics" program, a bastion of probusiness research.

From Time Magazine Archive

To him, Hunt was the janissary of a dead vernacular.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

One was dragoman, a post of which the occupation entitled him to the consideration of a gentleman; the other was merely henchman or janissary, of which dignity the allocation is in the kitchen.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 61, No. 380, June, 1847 by Various

A janissary opened, and roughly demanded his business, but changed his tone at once and gave the Jew admission, on receiving the coin.

From The Pirate City An Algerine Tale by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne

So Bovino and his janissaries posing in front of the Hollywood sign comes off like a hunter posing in front of his killed prey or a taunting postcard to L.A.:

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2025

It was sponsored by the state in many case: the Ottoman royal court supported the Mevlevi, the janissaries the Bektashi, in Mughal India the Chishti, etc..

From New York Times ● Sep. 23, 2016

The other was a force that Abbas recruited from the Christian north and modeled after the Ottoman janissaries.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2012

An elite force of 30,000 soldiers known as janissaries was trained to be loyal to the sultan only.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2012

"My benefactor," cried he, "the janissaries are moving toward the river; let us press them!"

From Pan Michael An Historical Novel of Poland, the Ukraine, and Turkey. by Henryk Sienkiewicz

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