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• Ottoman
  Ottoman

  adjective

  of or relating to the Ottoman Empire.
• ottoman
  ottoman

  noun

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

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)

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

Before the invasion, Turkish Cypriots made up around a fifth of the population of the former Ottoman and British colony where there had been years of inter-ethnic tension and violence.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

No, these were good old-fashioned pirates, sponsored by the Barbary states: the kingdom of Morocco was independent, while Algiers, Tripoli and Tunis owed a loose allegiance to the Ottoman Empire.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

Albania's land rights issue stems from its communist past that banned individual land ownership, further muddled by customs that date back to the Ottoman era.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

Iran has dominated this crucial waterway except when in internal disarray or checked by an outside power, namely Portugal, the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain and, after 1971, the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

“My ancestors came from the Danubian Sich. In the 1700s, we were exiled from Russia and settled in parts of the Ottoman Empire. For my family, it was Bucharest and Brailov.”

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

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

They also surprised me with a surfing shirt that just says “California” that’s on the ottoman.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2024

“Instead of a large cocktail table in your hang-out zone, include a collection of small tables and a pouf or ottoman to continue with the theme of keeping your space flexible, “ she says.

From Seattle Times ● May 17, 2024

I help Mom and Dad move some of the furniture around—it won’t look great if the entire congregation of Temple Judea sees me tripping over an ottoman and knocking myself unconscious.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

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

Many of the grander ones were converted into mosques by the Ottomans and museums in the early years of the Turkish republic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025

Maps showing the full reach of the Indian Empire were only published in top secrecy, and the Arabian territories were left off public documents to avoid provoking the Ottomans or later the Saudis.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2025

Ottomans also can be used for both storage and seating.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 14, 2024

The contemporary historian speaks of this event as a second conquest of Egypt for the Ottomans.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 1 "Edwardes" to "Ehrenbreitstein" by Various