seraglio

[ si-ral-yoh, -rahl- ]
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noun,plural se·ragl·ios.
  1. the part of a Muslim house or palace in which the wives and concubines are secluded; harem.

  2. a Turkish palace, especially of the sultan.

Origin of seraglio

1
1575–85; <Italian serraglio<Persian sarāy palace; sense development in Italian perhaps influenced by serrare to lock up
  • Also called se·rail [suh-rahy, -rahyl, -reyl]. /səˈraɪ, -ˈraɪl, -ˈreɪl/.

Words Nearby seraglio

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How to use seraglio in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for seraglio

seraglio

serail (səˈraɪ, -ˈraɪl, -ˈreɪl)

/ (sɛˈrɑːlɪˌəʊ) /


nounplural -raglios or -rails
  1. the harem of a Muslim house or palace

  2. a sultan's palace, esp in the former Turkish empire

  1. the wives and concubines of a Muslim

Origin of seraglio

1
C16: from Italian serraglio animal cage, from Medieval Latin serrāculum bolt, from Latin sera a door bar; associated also with Turkish seray palace

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