ENGLISH
REFERENCE

ottoman

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈɑtəmən// UK //ˈɒtəmən// ot·toman

n. a piece of furniture with a soft top and no back or arms. You can use it as a seat, a footrest, or sometimes for storage.

n. a low, upholstered piece of furniture without a back or arms, serving as a seat, footstool, or storage chest. When capitalised, it refers to the historical empire or its people.


SIMPLE

She rested her feet on the soft ottoman while reading.

CONTEXTUAL

The living room set includes a large sofa and a matching ottoman that opens up to store blankets.

COMPLEX

In contemporary interior design, a large central ottoman often replaces the traditional coffee table to provide a softer aesthetic and additional seating for guests.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle French Ottoman (“Osman”), from Italian Ottomano (“Osman”), from Ottoman Turkish عثمان, from Arabic عُثْمَان (ʕuṯmān, male given name). Doublet of Osman and Uthman.

Etymology 2

Ellipsis of Ottoman Turkish.

Usage

When referring to the historical empire, the word must be capitalised as 'Ottoman'.

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