Etymology From Ottoman in the early 19th century; so named because reclining on a couch was associated with Middle Eastern customs.
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Furniture, Lifestyle An upholstered sofa, without arms or a back, sometimes with a compartment for storing linen etc.
In the middle of the room there is a big ottoman; and this, with the carpet, the Morris wall-papers, and the Morris chintz window curtains and brocade covers of the ottoman and its cushions, supply all the ornament, and are much too handsome to be hidden by odds and ends of useless things.1912 (date written), [George] Bernard Shaw, “Pygmalion”, in Androcles and the Lion, Overruled, Pygmalion, London: Constable and Company, published 1916, →OCLC, Act III, page 144:
These hefty features were on display together with dry-point engravings, marble busts, and mahogany whatnots, which the guests now squeezed between, plumping themselves down on over-stuffed ottomans beneath gleaming crystal electroliers.2015 July 26, Will Self, “Original short story: Architectural Salvage, by Will Self”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 11 Aug 2016:
1 more example
A 39-year-old British woman was killed when a malfunctioning ottoman bed fell on her neck and asphyxiated her, a coroner’s report said.2024 October 14, Issy Ronald, “Woman killed by malfunctioning ottoman bed”, in CNN, archived from the original on 22 Oct 2024:
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Furniture, Lifestyle A low stool or thick cushion used to rest the feet or as a seat.
This ottoman is set on casters, and is a great convenience for holding articles, while serving also as a seat.1869, Catherine E. Beecher, Harriet Beecher Stowe, The American Woman’s Home:
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Business, Manufacturing, Textiles A fabric with a pronounced ribbed or corded effect, often made of silk or a mixture of cotton and silk-like yarns.
Etymology Borrowed from Middle French Ottoman (“Osman”), borrowed from Italian Ottomano, borrowed from Arabic عُثْمَان (ʕuṯmān). Doublet of Osman and Uthman.
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History, Human sciences, Sciences Of or relating to the Ottoman dynasty or the Ottoman Empire.
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History, Human sciences, SciencesIn particular Of or relating to the ethnic Turks of the Ottoman Empire.
Etymology Borrowed from Middle French Ottoman (“Osman”), borrowed from Italian Ottomano, borrowed from Arabic عُثْمَان (ʕuṯmān). Doublet of Osman and Uthman.
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History, Human sciences, Sciences A member of the Ottoman dynasty.
[…] the Ottomans were a dynasty like every other, subject to the same laws of the rise and fall of states.2006, Robert Dankoff, An Ottoman Mentality, page 243:
is trump our first ottoman president? >gilded everything >retarded, constantly scheming sons >a harem of slavic wives >elaborate headgear2025 January 23, @escapefrommelos, X:
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History, Human sciences, Sciences A citizen of the Ottoman Empire.
Nearly 250,000 Ottomans of various military ranks were taken captive by the Allied forces during World War I, which was referred to in Turkish variously as Büyük Harp, Cihan Harbi and Harb-i Umumi (or simply Seferberlik among the older generation of Turks) until World War II.2002, Yücel Yanikdağ, “Marginal men: Ottoman prisoners of war in the Great War”, in The Turkish Studies Association Journal, volume 26, number 2, →JSTOR, pages 39–46:
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History, Human sciences, SciencesIn particular An ethnic Turk of the Ottoman Empire.