Seraglio

Seraglio
Seraglio Se*ragl"io, n. [It. serraglio, originally, an inclosure of palisades, afterwards also, a palace, seraglio (by confusion with Per. ser[=a]["i]a a palace, an entirely different word), fr. serrare to shut, fr. LL. serra a bar for fastening doors, L. sera. See {Serry}, {Series}.] 1. An inclosure; a place of separation. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

I went to the Ghetto, where the Jews dwell as in a suburb, by themselves. I passed by the piazza Judea, where their seraglio begins. --Evelyn. [1913 Webster]

2. The palace of the Grand Seignior, or Turkish sultan, at Constantinople, inhabited by the sultan himself, and all the officers and dependents of his court. In it are also kept the females of the harem. [1913 Webster]

3. A harem; a place for keeping wives or concubines; sometimes, loosely, a place of licentious pleasure; a house of debauchery. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • seraglio — (n.) harem, also the name of a former palace of the sultan in Istanbul, 1580s, 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 ) …   Etymology dictionary

  • seraglio — [si ral′yō, siräl′yō] n. pl. seraglios [It serraglio, enclosure, padlock, also (infl. by Turk saray, palace: see SERAI), place, seraglio < ML serraculum, a bolt, bar < LL serare, to lock, bar < L sera, a bolt, lock] 1. the part of a… …   English World dictionary

  • Seraglio — Seraglio, 1) so v.w. Bosna 2); 2) italienisch für Serai …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • seraglio — ► NOUN (pl. seraglios) 1) the women s apartments in a Muslim house or palace. 2) a harem. ORIGIN Italian serraglio, from a Persian word meaning palace …   English terms dictionary

  • Seraglio — See also, Sarayburnu (also known as Seraglio Point). The Gate of a seraglio …   Wikipedia

  • seraglio — noun a) The palace of the Grand Seignior in Constantinople. At these words he started up, and beheld not his Sophia no, nor a Circassian maid richly and elegantly attired for the grand Signiors seraglio. b) The sequestered living quarters used by …   Wiktionary

  • seraglio —    (seh RAHL yoh) [Italian: enclosure] The section of a traditional Muslim house where women live in seclusion; a harem.    He had marked the founding father’s satirical, if now prescient, reference to critics’ warnings that Americans studying… …   Dictionary of foreign words and phrases

  • seraglio — noun (plural glios) Etymology: Italian serraglio, modification of Turkish saray palace Date: 1581 1. harem 1a 2. a palace of a sultan …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • seraglio — /si ral yoh, rahl /, n., pl. seraglios. 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 serail /seuh ruy , ruyl , rayl /. [1575 85; < It serraglio …   Universalium

  • SERAGLIO —    in its restricted sense applied in the East to a harem or women s quarters in a royal household; the former residence of the sultan of Turkey, occupies a beautiful site on the E. side of Constantinople, on a projecting piece of land between… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

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