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.
• odaA room within a harem.
• periA sprite or supernatural being, often a winged humanoid of immense beauty.
• 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”).
• 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.
• 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.
• TikritA city in northern Iraq.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• rakiA Turkish liqueur flavored with anise.
• 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.
• burekA type of baked or fried filled pastry of the former Ottoman Empire.
• 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.
• bashi-bazoukAn irregular soldier of the Ottoman army, reputed to be brutal and undisciplined.
• bedestenAn indoor marketplace in the Ottoman Empire.
• 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.
• 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.
• chorbastews or rich soups found in national cuisines across the Middle East, Maghreb, Iran, Turkey, Southeast Europe, Central Asia, East Africa and South Asia
• 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.
• 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.
• eyaletA former administrative division or province of the Ottoman Empire.
• feraceA long coat, part of the traditional dress of Muslim women.
• hasekiThe chief consort of an Ottoman sultan; later, any of several consorts of the sultan.
• hatti-sherifIn the Ottoman Empire, an edict countersigned by the sultan.
• hodjaA Muslim schoolmaster.
• ibrikA long-spouted pitcher, typically made of brass.
• iç oğlanA boy servant or page who was taken from Christian parents in the Balkans and converted, according to the devshirme system in the Ottoman Empire, and who worked in the sultan's palace.
• iradeA decree issued by a Muslim ruler.
• jelickThe bodice of women or vest of men worn in the Ottoman Empire.
• jereedA blunt javelin used by the people of the Levant, especially in mock fights.
• jezveA Turkish coffee-pot with a long handle.
• kadilukThe jurisdiction of a qadi.
• kashkavalA group of various traditional yellow cheeses from Turkey and the Balkans.
• kataifiA very fine, vermicelli-like pastry used to make desserts in various Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, particularly Palestinian.
• kavassA Turkish armed policeman or courier
• kaymakamAn Ottoman official who acted as grand vizier and governor of Constantinople during any absence or illness of the incumbent.
• KerbelaSynonym of Karbala, a city in Iraq.
• LazistanThe sanjak comprising the Laz or Lazuri-speaking population on the southeastern shore of the Black Sea.
• leblebiA kind of snack made from roasted chickpeas
• metallikA unit of currency of the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century; used in Crete during the Russian occupation.
• mudirA local official of the Ottoman Empire who oversaw a nahiye.
• mutasarrifThe governor of a province in some Muslim contexts, particularly (historical) in the Ottoman Empire.
• OsmanliSynonym of Ottoman.
• padishahA ruler of a Muslim country or state.
• palankaA permanently entrenched wooden camp attached to Turkish frontier fortresses.
• pashalikThe jurisdiction or the territory of a pasha.
• pastirmaA highly seasoned, air-dried cured beef in Ottoman cuisine.
• rahat lokumSynonym of locoum.
• sanjakA district, a prefecture, particularly (historical) a second-level administrative division of the Ottoman Empire.
• sanjakbeyAn official of the Ottoman Empire who oversaw a sanjak.