Word origins

• hitTo administer a blow to, directly or with a weapon or missile.
• batmanA servant or valet to a military officer.
• AzerbaijanA region in northwestern Iran, where ancient Atropatene was located, encompassing the modern provinces of Ardabil, East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan.
• yemenA country in West Asia in the Middle East. Official name: Republic of Yemen. Capital: Sanaa.
• rumA spirit distilled from various preparations of sugarcane, particularly fermented cane sugar and molasses.
• BeirutThe capital and largest city of Lebanon.
• yogurtA milk-based product stiffened by a bacterium-aided curdling process, and sometimes mixed with fruit or other flavoring.
• BalkanOf or relating to the Balkan Peninsula.
• odaA room within a harem.
• periA sprite or supernatural being, often a winged humanoid of immense beauty.
• reisThe holder of an Ottoman military rank akin to that of naval captain.
• milletAny of a group of various types of grass or its grains used as food, widely cultivated in the developing world.
• HaifaA port city in northern Israel.
• SheriA female given name, variant of Sherry.
• MosulThe capital city of the Nineveh governorate, Iraq.
• MuradA male given name, of Turkish origin, borne by various Ottoman dignitaries
• BasraA port city in southeastern Iraq.
• OsmanSynonym of Ottoman (“member of the Ottoman dynasty”).
• divanA Muslim council of state, specifically that of viziers of the Ottoman Empire that discussed and recommended new laws and law changes to a higher authority (the sultan).
• haremThe private section of a Muslim household forbidden to male strangers.
• SufiA mystic Muslim; a Muslim ascetic; a practitioner of Sufism.
• pashaA high-ranking Turkish military officer, especially as a commander or regional governor; the highest honorary title during the Ottoman Empire.
• beyA governor of a province or district in the Turkish (e.g. Ottoman) dominions.
• fezA felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone, having a flat top with a tassel attached.
• MehmetA male given name from Turkish, variant of Muhammad.
• boshNonsense.
• kismetFate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny.
• NablusA city, the capital of Nablus governorate, West Bank, Palestine.
• kazaA subdistrict, particularly (historical) a third-level administrative division of the Ottoman Empire.
• MervSynonym of Mary, a city in Turkmenistan noted for its former role on the Silk Road and similar trade routes.
• sherbetA dessert of frozen fruit juice with a dairy product such as milk added; a sorbet with dairy ingredients.
• muftiA Muslim scholar and interpreter of sharia law, who can deliver a fatwa.
• SaatchiA surname.
• vizierA high-ranking official or minister in an Islamic government, especially in the Ottoman Empire.
• balaclavaA type of warm headgear covering the neck, head, and often part of the face, with apertures left as necessary, often made out of wool.
• KozakA surname.
• TikritA city in northern Iraq.
• dervishA member of a Sufi Muslim ascetic fraternity of mendicant friars.
• pilafA dish made by browning grain, typically rice, in oil and then cooking it with a seasoned broth, to which meat and/or vegetables may be added.
• aghaAn honorific for high officials used in Turkey and certain Muslim countries.
• effendiAn educated or well-respected man in an eastern Mediterranean or Arab country; often used as a title of respect or courtesy in Turkey or a former Ottoman territory.
• sarmaA dumpling of minced meat and other ingredients wrapped in a leaf (grape or cabbage).
• AbdulazizThe 32nd sultan of the Ottoman Empire: Sultan Abdülâziz.
• nazarAn eye-shaped amulet supposed to protect against the evil eye in certain cultures.
• arabaA horse-drawn carriage once used for transportation in pre-modern Turkey.
• hammamA communal bathhouse in Islamic countries and communities.
• firmana royal decree issued by a sovereign in certain historical Islamic states, especially by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
• nizamThe hereditary sovereign of Hyderabad, a former state of India.
• yaliA type of house, particularly found on the Bosporus.
• bulgurWheat grains that have been steamed, dried, and crushed; a staple of Middle Eastern cooking.
• serdarThe holder of a particular military rank in the Ottoman Empire.
• MersinA province and metropolitan municipality in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast.
• SeljukOf or related to Seljuk, to his dynasty, to their empire in southwestern Asia, or to the period of their rule from the 11th–14th centuries.
• BenghaziA port city in eastern Libya.
• MehmedA male given name from Turkish, variant of Muhammad.
• rakiA Turkish liqueur flavored with anise.
• namazSynonym of salat (“Islamic prayer”).
• IzmitA city in Kocaeli Province, Turkey.
• kadinA woman of a sultan's harem
• zillOne of a set of small finger cymbals used in belly dancing and similar performances.
• konakA palace or other large official residence in Turkey or the Ottoman Empire.
• bigaA Roman racing chariot drawn by two horses abreast.
• UrfaA city in southeastern Turkey.
• burekA type of baked or fried filled pastry of the former Ottoman Empire.
• IznikA town in Turkey.
• timarA fiefdom in the Ottoman Empire granted by the Sultan to a spahi in exchange for his cavalryman service and cultivated by villeins who leased it from him.
• tekkeIn Turkey, a dervish or Sufi lodge or place of worship; alternative form of takya.
• abdestThe Islamic act of washing parts of the body using water for ritual prayers and for handling and reading the Qur'an.
• akçeA silver coin minted during the Ottoman Empire, valued at one-third of a para.
• alafrangaIn a French, or (loosely) European style.
• alaturcaIn a Turkish style.
• AleviSynonym of Alevite (“supporter of Alevism”)
• atabegA high medieval Turkish feudal title, originally charged with the caretaking and mentoring of the realm's crown prince.
• BalaibalanA constructed language of certain Sufi sects created around the 14th–16th century.
• bashi-bazoukAn irregular soldier of the Ottoman army, reputed to be brutal and undisciplined.
• bedestenAn indoor marketplace in the Ottoman Empire.
• befezzedWearing a fez (“a felt hat shaped like a truncated cone with a tassel attached”); fezzed.
• BektashThe founder of the Bektashi Sufi order.
• BektashiOf or relating to Bektashism.
• beylerbeyThe governor of a province of the Ottoman Empire, ranking immediately below the grand vizier. (Ottoman administrative title)
• beylikThe jurisdiction or the territory of a bey.
• binbashiA major in the Turkish army.
• black seaAn inland sea bound by Southeastern Europe in the west, Eastern Europe in the north and northeast, and Turkey in the south.
• bostanjiOne of the imperial guards of the Ottoman Empire.
• cadileskerSynonym of kazasker.
• calpackA kind of cap from Turkic countries, with a high crown.
• carsafA large sheet-like wrapper worn over other garments in several Muslim cultures.
• chekiA Turkish unit of weight equal to 200 kg (441 lbs.).
• chelengkA military decoration of the Ottoman Empire, a jewelled aigrette consisting of a central flower with leaves and buds, and upward-facing rays.
• chiausAn Ottoman Empire court official; an attendant, messenger, herald, interpreter.
• chorbastews or rich soups found in national cuisines across the Middle East, Maghreb, Iran, Turkey, Southeast Europe, Central Asia, East Africa and South Asia
• comitadjiA member of a unit of irregular soldiers or resistance fighters; a partisan.
• DanishmendSynonym of Danishmendid.
• davulA large Turkish double-headed drum, played with mallets.
• derbendA Turkish outpost at a remote location, typically a mountain pass, manned by guards or villagers who receive tax relief for maintaining the location and protecting it from outlaws.
• derbendciThe guards charged with maintaining and defending a derbend in exchange for tax relief.
• DerbentA city in Dagestan, Russia.
• devshirmeSystematic collection of non-Muslim boys or young men from rural Christian populations of the Balkans, practiced by Ottomans; the boys were taken to Istanbul, converted to Islam and educated for military profession or religious disciplines.
• dizdarThe commander of a castle or fortress in the Ottoman Empire.
• ErdelTransylvania.