odalisque

or o·da·lisk

[ ohd-l-isk ]

noun

1. a female slave or concubine in a harem, especially in that of the sultan of Turkey.
2. (initial capital letter) any of a number of representations of such a woman or of a similar subject, as by Ingres or Matisse.

odalisque

/ ˈəʊdəlɪsk /

noun

1. a female slave or concubine

Word History and Origins

Origin of odalisque¹

First recorded in 1675–85; from French, alteration of earlier odalique (with -s- perhaps from -esque -esque ) from Turkish odalιk “female slave, concubine,” equivalent to oda “room, chamber” + -lιk a noun suffix indicating relationship or origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of odalisque¹

C17: via French, changed from Turkish ōdalik, from ōdah room + -lik n suffix

Example Sentences

It’s this really beautiful print of a horned figure pulling back the covers on ‌a ‌kind of odalisque.

From New York Times

Machine forms collide with digital fictions to compose a corporate odalisque now in bed with the vast “oriental” wealth of Saudi criminals.

From Los Angeles Times

Ingres and Matisse transformed the reclining body into an odalisque, dressing their women in sheer harem pants and silk turbans, decorating them with bejeweled peacock-feather fans.

From Los Angeles Times

Johnson’s “Sleeping Figure” is a mercantile odalisque, draped in orientalist trappings of corporate Asia that are announced by prominent commercial names painted on the railway containers’ sides — Hyundai, Dongfang, Zim, China Shipping and more.

From Los Angeles Times

In the brilliant, complex “The Glider” and the Surrealistic odalisque of “Outstretched,” the soil has been mixed with charcoal, creating a soft, matte black.

From New York Times