mameluke
See also: Mameluke
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From French mamelouk, ultimately from Arabic مَمْلُوك (mamlūk, “slave”) (literally "possessed"), passive participle of مَلَكَ (malaka, “to possess, to acquire”). Doublet of mameluco.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
mameluke (plural mamelukes)
- (historical) A member of various military regimes in the Middle East created and run by freed slave soldiers, mainly from the Eurasian steppe or the Caucasus; in particular, those who formed a ruling caste in Egypt from 1250 until 1812 and in Syria until 1516.
- 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 48, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
- The Mammalukes boast, that they have the nimblest and readiest horses of any men at armes in the world.
- 1926, T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, New York: Anchor, published 1991, page 107:
- Conceivably both fort and causeway had been built by an Egyptian Mameluke for the passage of his pilgrim-caravan from Yenbo.
- 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 574:
- He first smashed the native Mameluke army at the battle of the Pyramids on 21 July, and secured lower Egypt before leading an expedition in Syria against Turkish forces.
- 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 278:
- The Mamluks, who seized power in Egypt in 1250, were a caste of men captured for military service, so they drew their identity from their defence of Islam against its enemies.
- (obsolete) A slave (especially European and white) in a Middle Eastern Muslim country.
- 1885–1888, Richard F[rancis] Burton, transl. and editor, “Night 1”, in A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, now Entituled The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night […], Shammar edition, volume (please specify the volume), [London]: […] Burton Club […], →OCLC:
- Having accepted this advice the King forthwith bade prepare handsome gifts, such as horses with saddles of gem encrusted gold; Mamelukes, or white slaves; beautiful handmaids, high breasted virgins, and splendid stuffs and costly.
- (slang, Italian-American) A fool.
- 2010 June 3, James Ellroy, American Tabloid[1]:
- Kabikov: “Hey, I’m setting a mood.” Mad Sal: “I’ll mood you, you mameluke.
- 2014 January 28, Anthony Bruno, Bad Guys[2]:
- My goddamn son-in-law, my right-hand man, acting like a fucking mameluke in front of all those people.” “Maybe he acted that way on purpose,” Tozzi said, “To make you think he was a mameluke.” “He was a mameluke!”
- 2021 January 14, Harry Brooks, Nothing Beats Luck[3]:
- “I’m saying there are some asshole cops who take their ‘collar’ out to the desert and bury him. […] There is nothing I would enjoy more than to put that mameluke Mikey Esposito in the ground . . . but that’s not going to happen.”
Translations edit
a member of a Middle Eastern military regime created and run by freed slaves
French edit
Adjective edit
mameluke