Mam·e·luke (m m  -l k )n. A member of a former military caste, originally composed of slaves from Turkey, that held the Egyptian throne from about 1250 until 1517 and remained powerful until 1811. [French mameluk, from Arabic maml  k, slave, Mameluke, passive participle of malaka, to possess; see mlk in Semitic roots.] |
Mameluke, Mamaluke [ˈmæməˌluːk], Mamluk [ˈmæmluːk]
n
1. (Historical Terms) (Military) a member of a military class, originally of Turkish slaves, ruling in Egypt from about 1250 to 1517 and remaining powerful until crushed in 1811
2. (Historical Terms) (in Muslim countries) a slave
[via French, ultimately from Arabic mamlūk slave, from malaka to possess]
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