sofa
- 01 C2 Proficiency
a raised part of a floor covered with carpets for sitting, common in older Middle Eastern buildings.
a raised section of a floor, typically carpeted, used for seating in traditional Middle Eastern architecture.
Simple“The guests sat on the silk-covered sofa to drink their tea.”
In context“The traditional reception hall featured a wide sofa along the perimeter, allowing visitors to rest comfortably on the elevated, carpeted surface.”
- 02 C2 Proficiency
a type of soldier who served in the army of the Mali Empire in Africa.
a member of a specific class of slave soldiers within the military hierarchy of the Mali Empire.
Simple“The sofa was a brave warrior in the ancient Mali army.”
In context“Historical accounts describe the sofa as a disciplined infantryman essential to the expansion of the Mali Empire during the thirteenth century.”
Borrowed from French sofa, ultimately from Arabic صُفَّة (ṣuffa, “a long seat made of stone or brick, covered with rich carpets and cushions and used for sitting”). Cognate with Aramaic צפא/Classical Syriac ܨܦܬܐ (ṣipā’, ṣeppəṯā, “mat, matting”). The word may have entered European languages via Muslim Iberia or through Turkish.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.