ˈmamˌlük noun
or mam·e·luke also mam·e·luk -məˌ-
( -s )
Etymology: mamluk, from Turkish & Arabic; Turkish memlûk, from Arabic mamlūk, literally, slave; mameluke & mameluk, from French mameluk, from Arabic mamlūk
1. usually capitalized : a member of a former Egyptian military class originally made up of a body of Caucasian slaves converted to Islam who gained great political power in Egypt, occupied the sultanate from 1250 to 1517, were defeated by Napoleon in 1798, and were exterminated or dispersed in 1811 by Mehemet Ali
2. usually mameluke , often capitalized
a. : a white or yellow slave in Muslim countries
b. : a member of a body of slave soldiers