janissary
Americannoun
plural
janissaries-
(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.
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(often initial capital letter) any soldier in the Turkish army.
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a member of any group of loyal guards, soldiers, or supporters.
noun
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.
Vocabulary lists containing janissary
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
How loyal a Janissary was he likely to have been?
From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023
What sense does this excerpt and the rest of the chapter give you of the Janissary experience?
From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023
By the fifteenth century, the Janissary corps of the Ottoman Empire were using firearms like the arquebus, an early long gun, in battle.
From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022
The Ottoman Janissary corps wore high, narrow hats, often with a sort of cape flowing from the top.
From Slate • Oct. 8, 2012
Kabakulak beckoned to Halil to sit on his left hand, the others were so arranged that each one of them sat between a couple of Janissary officers.
From Halil the Pedlar A Tale of Old Stambul by Jókai, Mór
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
