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seraglio

 - 4 dictionary results

se⋅ragl⋅io

  [si-ral-yoh, -rahl-]
Use seraglio in a Sentence
–noun, plural -ragl⋅ios.
1. the part of a Muslim house or palace in which the wives and concubines are secluded; harem.
2. a Turkish palace, esp. of the sultan.
Also called se⋅rail  [suh-rahy, -rahyl, -reyl] .

Origin:
1575–85; < It serraglio < Pers sarāy palace; sense development in It perh. influenced by serrare to lock up
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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se·ra·glio   (sə-rāl'yō, -räl'-)   
n.   pl. se·ra·glios

  1. A large harem.

  2. A sultan's palace. Also called serai.


[Italian serraglio, enclosure, seraglio, probably partly from Vulgar Latin *serraculum, enclosure (from *serrāre, to lace up, from Latin serāre, from sera, door-bar) and partly from Turkish saray, palace (from Persian sarāy, inn; see terə-2 in Indo-European roots).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

seraglio 
"harem," also the name of a former palace of the sultan in Istanbul, 1581, from It. seraglio, alteration of Turk. saray "palace, court," from Pers. sara'i "palace, inn," from Iranian base *thraya- "to protect" (cf. Avestan thrayeinti "they protect"). The It. word probably reflects folk etymology influence of serraglio "enclosure, cage," from M.L. serraculum "bung, stopper" (see serried).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

Seraglio

in Istanbul, collection of classical antiquities, manuscripts, ceramics, armour, textiles, and other artifacts, housed in the sultans' Seraglio (Topkapi Saray). It was established in 1892 and later extended

Learn more about Seraglio with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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