Mameluke dynasty

9.9

Family of rulers in Egypt and Syria made of former slave soldiers from the 1200s to the early 1500s

proper noun
/ˈmæməˌluk ˈdaɪnəsti/

: dinastía mameluca

Cairo flourished artistically and economically under the Mameluke dynasty.

Examples

The Mameluke dynasty played a key role in defending the region from Mongol invasions.
After the fall of the Mameluke dynasty, Egypt became part of the Ottoman Empire.
The Mameluke dynasty ruled Egypt for several centuries.
Did the Mameluke dynasty have a significant impact on architecture?
Cairo flourished artistically and economically under the Mameluke dynasty.
The Mameluke dynasty played a key role in defending the region from Mongol invasions.
After the fall of the Mameluke dynasty, Egypt became part of the Ottoman Empire.

Surface Forms

Mameluke dynasty main

Morphology

Mameluke + dynasty

The phrase is directly compositional: 'Mameluke' names the group and 'dynasty' denotes a succession of rulers, so a 'Mameluke dynasty' is simply a ruling succession composed of Mamelukes. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift—given knowledge of both constituents, a B1 learner can infer the meaning.

Etymology

The name Mameluke dynasty comes from the word Mameluke, which once meant 'owned' or 'slave' because the rulers began as slave soldiers who later took power. So the name reminds us that these rulers were former 'slave' soldiers who 'ruled' Egypt and Syria.