noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈdʒanɪzəɹi/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈja-/
Received-Pronunciation:/-səɹi/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈd͡ʒænəˌzeɹi/
General-American:/-səɹi/
1
noun
Meaning 1
An infantry soldier, often of European Christian background from the Balkans as well as Eastern Europe and forcibly converted to Islam, in a former elite Turkish (Ottoman) guard (disbanded in 1826).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
An infantry soldier, often of European Christian background from the Balkans as well as Eastern Europe and forcibly converted to Islam, in a former elite Turkish (Ottoman) guard (disbanded in 1826).
Any Turkish soldier, particularly one escorting a traveller.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
An elite, highly loyal supporter.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
a Turkish soldier
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: soldier
5
noun
Meaning 5
a loyal supporter
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
every politician has a following of janissaries
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: follower
History
Etymology
] From Italian giannizzaro, possibly via Middle French ianissaire or Spanish jenízaro, from Ottoman Turkish یڭیچری (yeñiçeri) (whence Modern Turkish yeniçeri), from یڭی (yeñi, “new”) + چری (çeri, “soldier”). Compare Dutch janitsaar, German Janitschar. The word is attested from the early 16th century in English; the janissaries themselves date from the 14th century.
Across languages
Translations
51 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
jeniçer
— former Turkish soldier
Arabic:
إِنْكِشَارِيّ
(ʔinkišāriyy)
— former Turkish soldier
Armenian:
ենիչերի
(eničʻeri)
— former Turkish soldier
Azerbaijani:
yeniçəri
— former Turkish soldier
Belarusian:
яныча́р
(janyčár)
— former Turkish soldier
Bulgarian:
ени́чар
(eníčar)
— former Turkish soldier
Bulgarian:
ени́чарин
(eníčarin)
— former Turkish soldier
Catalan:
genísser
— former Turkish soldier
Chinese Mandarin:
土耳其新軍 /土耳其新军
(Tǔ'ěrqí xīnjūn)
— former Turkish soldier
Chinese Mandarin:
土耳其禁衛軍 /土耳其禁卫军
(Tǔ'ěrqí jìnwèijūn)
— former Turkish soldier
Chinese Mandarin:
耶尼切里
(yēníqiēlǐ)
— former Turkish soldier
Czech:
janičár
— former Turkish soldier
Danish:
janitshar
— former Turkish soldier
Esperanto:
janiĉaro
— former Turkish soldier
Finnish:
janitsaari
— former Turkish soldier
French:
janissaire
— former Turkish soldier
Georgian:
იანიჩარი
(ianičari)
— former Turkish soldier
German:
Janitschar
— former Turkish soldier
Greek:
γενίτσαρος
(genítsaros)
— former Turkish soldier
Hindi:
जाँनिसारी
(jā̃nisārī)
— former Turkish soldier
Hindi:
यनीचरी
(yanīcarī)
— former Turkish soldier
Hungarian:
janicsár
— former Turkish soldier
Irish:
Ianasóir
— former Turkish soldier
Italian:
giannizzero
— former Turkish soldier
Japanese:
イェニチェリ
(yenicheri)
— former Turkish soldier
Kazakh:
жаңа шерік
(jaña şerık)
— former Turkish soldier
Korean:
예니체리
(yenicheri)
— former Turkish soldier
Latin:
ianizarus
— former Turkish soldier
Latin:
ianissarius
— former Turkish soldier
Macedonian:
јаничар
(janičar)
— former Turkish soldier
Marathi:
जानिझेरी
(jānijherī)
— former Turkish soldier
Marathi:
येनिचेरी
(yenicerī)
— former Turkish soldier
Norwegian Bokmål:
janitsjar
— former Turkish soldier
Iranian Persian:
یِنیچِری
(yeni-čeri)
— former Turkish soldier
Polish:
janczar
— former Turkish soldier
Portuguese:
janíçaro
— former Turkish soldier
Romanian:
ienicer
— former Turkish soldier
Russian:
яныча́р
(janyčár)
— former Turkish soldier
Serbo-Croatian:
ја̀њича̄р
— former Turkish soldier
Serbo-Croatian:
jànjičār
— former Turkish soldier
Slovak:
janičiar
— former Turkish soldier
Slovene:
janičar
— former Turkish soldier
Spanish:
jenízaro
— former Turkish soldier
Swedish:
janitschar
— former Turkish soldier
Swedish:
janitsjar
— former Turkish soldier
Tagalog:
henisaro
— former Turkish soldier
Turkish:
yeniçeri
— former Turkish soldier
Ottoman Turkish:
یڭیچری
(yeniçeri)
— former Turkish soldier
Ukrainian:
янича́р
(janyčár)
— former Turkish soldier
Urdu:
یَنی چَری
(yanī carī)
— former Turkish soldier
