iç oğlan

noun

A 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.

OriginOttoman Turkish ایچ اوغلانی →
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Meanings

nouniç oğlan (plural iç oğlans)

plural iç oğlans

  1. historicalA 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.

Origin

  1. Ottoman Turkishایچ اوغلانی
  2. Englishiç oğlan

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish ایچ اوغلانی (iç oğlanı), from ایچ (iç, “interior”) + اوغلان (oğlan, “boy”).

More words from Ottoman Turkish

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

iç oğlan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/i%C3%A7%20o%C4%9Flan

MLA

“iç oğlan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/i%C3%A7%20o%C4%9Flan. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “iç oğlan,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/i%C3%A7%20o%C4%9Flan.

Source: iç oğlan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.