Low cushioned seats without backs or arms, often used to prop up feet, or plural reference to the Ottoman Empire.
From 'Ottoman,' referring to the Ottoman Empire (Ottoman < Osman, founder). The furniture piece was named because such cushioned benches were popular in Ottoman Turkish culture.
The ottoman is a perfect example of how furniture styles travel and become unnamed—we call them ottomans because they came from the Ottoman Empire, even though we rarely think about that origin anymore.
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