seraglio

C2 Topic:House & Home

US /səˈɹæljoʊ/ UK /serˈɑː.li.əʊ/ See IPA manual

Freq #131847

Meanings

1

noun
the secluded living quarters reserved for wives and concubines in a Muslim household; a harem

Visitors to the palace were not admitted to the seraglio.
2

noun
a sultan's palace, especially in the former Ottoman Empire

The ambassador was escorted through the gates of the sultan's seraglio.
3

noun
a luxurious, profligate, or decadent residence of a wealthy person

The satirist portrayed the tycoon's mansion as a gaudy seraglio.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the secluded living... haremwomen's quarters

2 noun · a sultan's palace,... palaceserail

3 noun · a luxurious, profligate, or... pleasure palace

Word family

Related forms seraiserail

Etymology

From Italian serraglio, from Vulgar Latin *serraculum ("bolt, enclosure"), from Late Latin serare ("to lock"), itself from sera ("lock, bolt"). The Italian word's use for an Ottoman palace was reinforced by its resemblance to Turkish saray ("palace"); compare serai and serail.

Topics

House & Home

External links

# seraglio

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /səˈɹæljoʊ/
**IPA (UK):** /serˈɑː.li.əʊ/
**Frequency rank:** 131847

## Meanings
1. the secluded living quarters reserved for wives and concubines in a Muslim household; a harem
2. a sultan's palace, especially in the former Ottoman Empire
3. a luxurious, profligate, or decadent residence of a wealthy person

## Examples
- Visitors to the palace were not admitted to the seraglio.
- The ambassador was escorted through the gates of the sultan's seraglio.
- The satirist portrayed the tycoon's mansion as a gaudy seraglio.

## Synonyms
- harem
- women's quarters
- serail
- palace

## Related Forms
- serai
- serail

## Etymology
From Italian serraglio, from Vulgar Latin *serraculum ("bolt, enclosure"), from Late Latin serare ("to lock"), itself from sera ("lock, bolt"). The Italian word's use for an Ottoman palace was reinforced by its resemblance to Turkish saray ("palace"); compare serai and serail.

## Topics
- House & Home

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