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odalisque

 - 3 dictionary results

o⋅da⋅lisque

[ohd-l-isk]
–noun
1. a female slave or concubine in a harem, esp. in that of the sultan of Turkey.
2. (initial capital letter) any of a number of representations of such a woman or of a similar subject, as by Ingres or Matisse.
Also, o⋅da⋅lisk.


Origin:
1675–85; < F, alter. of earlier odalique (with -s- perh. from -esque -esque ) < Turk odalιk concubine, equiv. to oda room + -lιk n. suffix of appurtenance
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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o·da·lisque also o·da·lisk   (ō'də-lĭsk')   
n.  A woman slave in a harem.

[French, from Turkish ōdalik, chambermaid : ōdah, room + -lik, suff. expressing function.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

odalisque 
1681, "female slave in a harem," from Fr. odalisque (1664), from Turk. odaliq "maidservant," from odah "room in a harem," lit. "chamber, hall" + -liq, suffix expressing function. In Fr., the suffix was confused with Gk. -isk(os) "of the nature of, belonging to."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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