odalisque
Americannoun
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a female slave or concubine in a harem, especially in that of the sultan of Turkey.
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(initial capital letter) any of a number of representations of such a woman or of a similar subject, as by Ingres or Matisse.
noun
Etymology
Origin of odalisque
First recorded in 1675–85; from French, alteration of earlier odalique (with -s- perhaps from -esque -esque ) from Turkish odalιk “female slave, concubine,” equivalent to oda “room, chamber” + -lιk a noun suffix indicating relationship or origin
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.
Ingres and Matisse transformed the reclining body into an odalisque, dressing their women in sheer harem pants and silk turbans, decorating them with bejeweled peacock-feather fans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2023
In a Joan Brown painting, a cat might sit pensively in the middle of a Kool-Aid-colored landscape and a woman with the body of a tiger might take the pose of an Ingres odalisque.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2022
She photographs herself as the schoolgirl, aristocrat, frustrated housewife, film-noir heroine, biker chick, odalisque, demented clown and soap opera diva.
From BusinessWeek ● Feb. 27, 2012
Mickalene Thomas’s photograph hides an odalisque in plain sight by surrounding her with patterned fabrics.
From New York Times ● Feb. 10, 2011
"To be beautiful, darling, you must be good and virtuous," said the fair odalisque, earnestly.
From Frederick the Great and His Family by Mrs. Chapman Coleman
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.
