Mamluk

noun

Mam·​luk ˈmam-ˌlük 

variants or Mameluke

ˈma-mə-ˌlük 

plural Mamluks or Mamelukes

1

: a member of a politically powerful Egyptian military class occupying the sultanate from 1250 to 1517

2

often not capitalized : a white or east Asian enslaved person in a Muslim country

Examples of Mamluk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Named after Egypt’s first Fatimid caliph in the 10th century, the street is lined with palaces, mosques, and monuments of Fatimid, Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman rulers. —Nada El Sawy, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Nov. 2023

Roman, Umayyad, Mamluk,Ottoman, British, and, among others, its future liberated state, with a robust network of trade and transportation. —Curbed, 20 Oct. 2023

Instead, the objects clearly belonged to the period of the Islamic Mamluk sultanate. —David M. Perry and Matthew Gabriele, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Nov. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Arabic mamlūk, literally, slave

First Known Use

circa 1506, in the meaning defined at sense 1