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• Ottoman
  Ottoman

  adjective

  of or relating to the Ottoman Empire.
• ottoman
  ottoman

Ottoman

American  

[ot-uh-muhn] / ˈɒt ə mən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the Ottoman Empire.

2. of or relating to the lands, peoples, and possessions of the Ottoman Empire.

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noun

• Ottomans
  plural

1. a Turk.

2. a Turk of the family or tribe of Osman.

3. (lowercase) a cushioned footstool.

4. (lowercase) a low cushioned seat without back or arms.

5. (lowercase) a kind of divan or sofa, with or without a back.

6. (lowercase) a corded silk or rayon fabric with large cotton cord for filling.

ottoman ¹ British  

/ ˈɒtəmən /

noun

1. 1. a low padded seat, usually armless, sometimes in the form of a chest

   2. a cushioned footstool

2. a corded fabric

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Ottoman ² British  

/ ˈɒtəmən /

adjective

1. history of or relating to the Ottomans or the Ottoman Empire

2. denoting or relating to the Turkish language

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noun

1. a member of a Turkish people who invaded the Near East in the late 13th century

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Ottomanlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Ottomans
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of Ottoman

1575–85; < French < Italian ottomano, after the founder of the empire ( Arabic ʿuthmān ); Ottoman defs. 5, 6, 7, 8 < French ottomane (feminine)

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Explanation

Your dad's favorite cushioned spot to rest his feet can be referred to as an ottoman — it's also known as a hassock or a footstool. This word may conjure anything from a vast empire to a footstool — it's all the same word, ultimately from the Arabic personal name Othman (which loses a lot, soundwise, in translation). The puffy footstools known as ottomans were allegedly originally a component of said empire's comforts.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Ottoman ottoman Ottomans

Mr. McMeekin, a professor of history at Bard College, is the author of “The Ottoman Endgame,” “To Overthrow the World” and “Stalin’s War.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

He died from a fever in 1824 in Missolonghi, in modern day Greece, after joining Greek insurgents the year prior to fight a war of independence against the Ottoman Empire.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

After World War I and its remaking of the global order, including the end of the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires, anticolonial movements stirred across Asia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Albania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912 and became a monarchy.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

Also on the list are the punitive armies of Rome, the fecklessness of Byzantium, Ottoman indifference, and British gunboats.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

A chair he designed is known as the Platner chair and still sells, with its ottoman, for as much as $18,000.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

We would also lose one of TV’s most unforgettable opening sequences highlighted by Van Dyke’s Rob Petrie tumbling over an ottoman, then springing to his feet with a grin.

From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2025

Pro tip: This ottoman, which is made with fast-drying foam, looks just like a scrumptious popover or a delicious jelly candy.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2024

The stool or ottoman comes with four different cushions resembling giant, fruit-toned softballs that can be swapped out.

From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2024

I pick up Mister Johnny’s folded pants off the yellow ottoman.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

It has always been the case that any megapower that seeks multi-domain planetary power must have a presence in the Middle East be it Cold War superpowers, Europeans or the Ottomans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

For thousands of years, the ancient city of Sardis in western Turkey changed hands as Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans rose and fell.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026

Over the centuries came many others, including the Ottomans, the French and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026

"Stanley came to appreciate the social and the spiritual benefits Islam provided the Ottomans," Gilham said.

From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2026

Just so it was when, according to the symbol, the Euphrates overflowed its banks; or, according to history, the Ottomans invaded Europe. 

From Rome, Turkey, and Jerusalem by Edward Hoare

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