Why Is an Ottoman Called an Ottoman?

Etymology

• The 2010 Online Etymology Dictionary traces the capitalized, adjective form, "Ottoman," to 1585, when it first appears as a French term derived from the Italian "Ottomano." The Italian word was in turn derived from the Arabic word "Uthmani" -- of or belonging to the Arabic masculine proper name "Uthman," pronounced "Othman" in Turkey. Osmanli was the name of the founder of the Ottoman Empire. In England, Lord Byron used the term "Othman." Eastern customs had tribal rulers reclining on a couch -- hence the furniture piece attributed to the Ottomans.

Historical Deviation

• Sultans, emperors and kings had the luxury of resting their feet on a padded footstool while sitting upright on their thrones. The ottoman was no longer a couch for reclining, but the idea of rest and comfort carried forward with the smaller, padded foot rest. Historical events contributed to a blurring of the term "ottoman" as well. Two distinct views of its origins emerged as the ottoman was embraced by the middle class in France at the end of the 18th century.

Napoleonic View

• The Napoleonic view traces the origin of the ottoman to the invasion of Egypt undertaken by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798. At the time, Egypt was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. As a way basking in Napoleon's conquest of this part of the Middle East, the traditional footstool was renamed an ottoman. Europeans made a great show of resting their feet on one of the most powerful empires in the world.

Other theories

• The Ottoman Turks were notorious for their brutality. Enemies of the empire were subjected to prolonged periods of torture. Victims had to elevate their damaged feet to recover from torture sessions. The footstools required were therefore called ottomans. The most likely scenario was that travellers to the Middle East and the Balkans had seen footstools in use in mosques and temples. The stool, and the name given to it by traders, was introduced into France and all of Europe as an ottoman.