English words from Ottoman Turkish
5 English words with Ottoman Turkish in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages.
bey
It is borrowed from Ottoman Turkish بك (bey, “gentleman, chief”), Turkish bey (“prince, governor”), the modern pronunciation of older beg. This continues Old Turkic beg (“chieftain, lord”), recorded…
fez
It is borrowed from Ottoman Turkish فس (fes), perhaps through French fez, which Barnhart, Etymonline and Merriam-Webster Unabridged give as the immediate source. The Turkish word is spelt like the…
harem
It is borrowed from Ottoman Turkish حرم (harem) and directly borrowed from Arabic حَرَم (ḥaram, “something forbidden; sanctuary; women”), later also حَرِيم (ḥarīm, “forbidden place”), with the same…
pasha
It is borrowed from Ottoman Turkish پاشا (pāšā) (modern Turkish paşa), which the OED derives from Persian پادشاه (pādšāh), the source of padishah. It describes it as a title created by the Ottoman…
yogurt
It is borrowed from Ottoman Turkish یوغورت (yoġurt), recorded from 1451, modern Turkish yoğurt. In early use the word partly came through other European languages: compare Italian iogurt (recorded…