Ottoman. I'm referring to the object which amounts to a footstool or a footrest. Why is it called an Ottoman? I'd be shocked if it didn't have something to do with the Ottoman Empire, but were the footstools named after the empire (as I suspect), or was it the other way around? If it was named after the empire, why? Did they produce the most luxurious footstools, or the most, or what?
I'm sure I could look it up, but it was just one of those things that tripped my mind (oh no, I'm mixing metaphors...)
Hi there WW:
ReplyDeleteThe Wikipedia sez:
"The word ottoman as associated with the furniture used as a footstool is widely believed to have come about in the late 18th century when Egypt, then a part of the Ottoman Empire, was invaded by the French. This invasion included physical punishment to include "pain walks" (loosely translated) - because of these walks Ottomans soon thereafter fashioned footstools to rest their tired extremities. These footstools later became widely popular in Europe and the term ottoman was coined to give tribute to the furniture's origin."
See ya!
---Mr. Physics Man