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Glite Dictionary
Sublime Porte

Sublime Porte

9.9
The central government of the Ottoman Empire that handles foreign affairs
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : Puerta Sublime
  • He served as a diplomat at the Sublime Porte, where he negotiated important treaties with other nations.

Examples

  • In the 19th century, many European powers sought favorable relations with the Sublime Porte to expand their influence in the region.

  • The emissaries from different countries met with officials at the Sublime Porte to discuss trade agreements.

  • For centuries, the Mamluk Emirs ruled Egypt under the nominal suzerainty of the Sublime Porte.

    Academic text (1996)

Synonyms

Porte
vsSublime Porte
  • Archaic
1 9.9

The central government and court of the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople

is the general diplomatic name for the Ottoman central government in foreign affairs

Surface Forms

Sublime Porte singular

Morphology

sublime + Porte

Although 'sublime' means lofty or grand and 'porte' is originally French for 'gate', the phrase 'Sublime Porte' is a historical, metonymic name for the Ottoman central government used in diplomatic contexts. This institutional/diplomatic sense is culturally specific and not predictable from the literal constituents, so a B1 learner who only knows the words would not reliably infer 'central government'.

Etymology

Sublime Porte comes from a real, grand gate at the ruler's palace where foreign ambassadors were received. Porte is French for 'gate' and Sublime shows it was very important, so the place where diplomats met came to stand for 'the central government' or 'court'.