seraglio

se·ra·glio  (s-rly, -räl-)

n. pl. se·ra·glios

1. A large harem.

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

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[Italian serraglio, enclosure, seraglio, probably partly from Vulgar Latin *serraculum, enclosure (from *serrre, to lace up, from Latin serre, from sera, door-bar) and partly from Turkish saray, palace (from Persian sary, inn; see ter-² in Indo-European roots).]

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seraglio [sɛˈrɑːlɪˌəʊ], serail [səˈraɪ -ˈraɪl -ˈreɪl]

n pl -raglios, -rails

1. (Non-Christian Religions / Islam) the harem of a Muslim house or palace

2. (Non-Christian Religions / Islam) a sultan's palace, esp in the former Turkish empire

3. (Non-Christian Religions / Islam) the wives and concubines of a Muslim

[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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Seraglio the inmates of a harem, 1634; a house of women kept for debauchery—Johnson, 1755.

Examples: seraglio of the godly (i.e., a nunnery), 1672; of flattering lusts, 1711; of maids of honour, 1860; a cock and a seraglio of seven hens, 1773.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

seraglio - living quarters reserved for wives and concubines and female relatives in a Muslim household hareem, harem, serail living quarters, quarters - housing available for people to live in; "he found quarters for his family"; "I visited his bachelor quarters"

Translations

seraglio [seˈrɑːlɪəʊ] N → serallo m

seraglio

n → Serail nt