janissary

3 definitions found

janissary - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Janizary \Jan"i*za*ry\, n.; pl. Janizaries. [F. janissaire,
     fr. Turk. ye[~n]i-tsheri new soldiers or troops.]
     A soldier of a privileged military class, which formed the
     nucleus of the Turkish infantry, but was suppressed in 1826.
     [written also janissary.]
     [1913 Webster]

  Janissary \Jan"is*sa*ry\, n.
     See Janizary.
     [1913 Webster]

janissary - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  janissary
      n 1: a loyal supporter; "every politician has a following of
           janissaries"
      2: a Turkish soldier