seraglio
pronunciation
How to pronounce seraglio in British English:
UK [sɪ'rælɪəʊ]
How to pronounce seraglio in American English:
US [sɪ'ræljoʊ]
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- Noun:
- living quarters reserved for wives and concubines and female relatives in a Muslim household
Word Origin
- seraglio
- seraglio: see caravan
- seraglio (n.)
- "harem," also the name of a former palace of the sultan in Istanbul, 1580s, from Italian seraglio, alteration of Turkish saray "palace, court," from Persian sara'i "palace, inn," from Iranian base *thraya- "to protect" (cognates: Avestan thrayeinti "they protect"), from PIE *tra-, variant form of root *tere- (2) "to cross over, pass through, overcome" (see through). The Italian word probably reflects folk etymology influence of serraglio "enclosure, cage," from Medieval Latin serraculum "bung, stopper" (see serried).
Example
- 1. Beautiful true the late qing dynasty imperial harem or seraglio life .
- 2. The imperial bedroom and seraglio in the nine continents were forbidden ground , and yet the european visitor father attiret was able to see them .