tughra

Where does the word "tughra" come from? It comes from Oghuz Turkic tughragh, passing through Ottoman Turkish before entering English (1800s).

Tughra’s story begins in Oghuz Turkic: tughragh meant “royal emblem.” A royal seal or emblem among the Oghuz Turks, from whom the Seljuks and Ottomans descended. By 1300s-1900s, the word had taken hold in Ottoman Turkish as tuğra. Drawn at the head of every imperial decree and stamped on coins, it spelled out the sultan's name and titles. It reached English by 1800s as tughra. The illuminated tughras of Suleiman the Magnificent became prized in Western museums as masterpieces of calligraphy. Today, tughra means the ornate calligraphic monogram of an Ottoman sultan.

1. Stage 1 · Oghuz Turkic · medieval tughragh "royal emblem", a royal seal or emblem among the Oghuz Turks, from whom the Seljuks and Ottomans descended.
2. Stage 2 · Ottoman Turkish · 1300s-1900s tuğra "sultan's monogram", drawn at the head of every imperial decree and stamped on coins, it spelled out the sultan's name and titles.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s tughra "an Ottoman sultan's monogram", the illuminated tughras of Suleiman the Magnificent became prized in Western museums as masterpieces of calligraphy.