1580s (n.), c.1600 (adj.), from French Ottoman, from Italian Ottomano, from Arabic 'Uthmani "of or belonging to 'Uthman," Arabic masc. proper name, which in Turkish is pronounced Othman (see Osmanli), name of the founder of the dynasty and empire. Ending altered in Italian by formation of a new false singular, because -i was a plural inflection in Italian. Byron used the more correct form Othman, and a few writers have followed him. The type of couch so called (1806) because one reclined on it, which was associated with Eastern customs (see couch).
deeply upholstered seat of any shape, with or without a back, introduced into Europe in the late 18th century from Turkey, where, piled with cushions, it was the central piece of domestic seating. One of the early versions was designed as a piece of fitted furniture to go entirely around three walls of a room, and from this evolved a smaller version, designed to fit the corner of a room