Mameluke noun & adjective. ['mamǝlu:k] obsolete exc. Hist. Also Mamluk ['maml(j)u:k]. E16.
[French mameluk from Arab. mamlūk object of possession, slave, use as noun of pass. pple of malaka possess.]
A. noun.
1. A member of a regime established and maintained by (emancipated) white military slaves (orig. Kipchaks, later Circassians) which ruled Egypt as a sultanate from 1250 until 1517, continuing as a ruling military caste under Ottoman sovereignty until 1812, and in Syria from 1260 to 1516. E16.

2. A slave in a Muslim country. E16.

3. A member of any military body of slaves; a slavish champion or supporter. M16.
b. attrib. or as adjective. Of or pertaining to the Mamelukes. L18.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲