Mameluke
Americannoun
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a member of a military class, originally composed of slaves, that seized control of the Egyptian sultanate in 1250, ruled until 1517, and remained powerful until massacred or dispersed by Mehemet Ali in 1811.
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Archaic. mameluke. (in Muslim countries) a slave.
noun
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a member of a military class, originally of Turkish slaves, ruling in Egypt from about 1250 to 1517 and remaining powerful until crushed in 1811
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(in Muslim countries) a slave
Etymology
Origin of Mameluke
First recorded in 1505–15; from Arabic mamlūk literally, “slave,” noun use of past participle of malaka “to possess”
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.
He was a captain in the Marines, and keeps a Mameluke sword hanging in his office.
From New York Times • Mar. 12, 2011
Nevertheless, the battle-hardened French veterans easily routed Murad Bey's Mameluke tribesmen.
From Time Magazine Archive
One trouble was that Mameluke warriors were replaceable and French riflemen were not.
From Time Magazine Archive
Phil D. was fourth, Fanfare fifth, Battle Morn sixth, Counterpoint. eleventh, Mameluke 20th and dead last.
From Time Magazine Archive
The night would go on, the Mameluke sword would cut the cake, the general would speak, and tradition would be served.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
