odalisque

[prettygoodword]

Theme week again! This time, I'll be picking from alphaDictionary.coms list of The 100 Most Beautiful Words in English, while being careful not to repeat ones I've already done, like petrichor and aestivate.


odalisque - n., a female slave or concubine in a harem.


Especially the Sultan of Turkey's harem. In use in English since 1681, from French, alteration from odalique, from Turkish odalιk (yes, that's an i without a dot), concubine, from oda, room + -lιk, noun suffix expressing function -- so, a "room person/thing".

---L.

Comments

[al-rants.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you saw todays word of the day on Dictionary.com, but I was impressed with it as a potential candidate for the theme week you recently completed of loaner words with different adopted meanings.

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

Indeed. I kicked myself lightly for having overlooked the possibility, even though it changed its meaning in the original language rather than in the process of borrowing.

---L.