janissary

American  

[jan-uh-ser-ee] / ˈdʒæn əˌsɛr i /

Also janizary

noun

plural

janissaries

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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Etymology

Origin of janissary

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

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

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

In less than a quarter of an hour we met the janissary whom Sir Moses had sent to the Governor of Jerusalem.

From Diaries of Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore, Volume I Comprising Their Life and Work as Recorded in Their Diaries From 1812 to 1883 by Loewe, Louis