English words from Turkish
Words from Turkish, several of them names for things the Ottoman Empire introduced to Europe.
- Istanbul
For centuries, Greek speakers heading into Constantinople said they were going "eis tin polin," to the city, and Turkish speakers heard that phrase as a name. The Ottomans used "Istanbul" informally alongside the official Konstantiniyye for hundreds of years…
From the Wed, Sep 16, 2026 roundup → - Ottoman
The low, cushioned seat known as an "ottoman" takes its name from the empire whose furnishing traditions inspired it: a padded platform piled with cushions was the centerpiece of a traditional Ottoman-Turkish sitting room. European furniture makers adopted…
From the Mon, Sep 7, 2026 roundup → - Tulip
Persian "dulband" is a turban, and Turkish speakers used a form of the word, "tülbent," for the flower whose opened bloom looked like one. The Flemish diplomat Ogier de Busbecq, sent to the Ottoman court in 1554, recorded the name in his letters home, and the…
From the Wed, Sep 30, 2026 roundup → - Uzbekistan
Central Asia's most populous country takes its name from a Turkic ethnic group whose own name is traditionally traced to a 14th-century Golden Horde khan, combined with the Persian suffix meaning land, shared by several of its neighbors. The territory passed…
From the Sun, Sep 20, 2026 roundup →