seraglio
Americannoun
plural
seraglios-
the part of a Muslim house or palace in which the wives and concubines are secluded; harem.
-
a Turkish palace, especially of the sultan.
noun
-
the harem of a Muslim house or palace
-
a sultan's palace, esp in the former Turkish empire
-
the wives and concubines of a Muslim
Etymology
Origin of seraglio
1575–85; < Italian serraglio < Persian sarāy palace; sense development in Italian perhaps influenced by serrare to lock up
Explanation
A seraglio refers to the apartments or rooms where a group of Turkish Muslim women live together, especially if they are a man's wives and concubines. In other words, a seraglio is a harem. Thanks to Mozart's opera "The Abduction from the Seraglio," this word will always retain a slot in English — despite its being merely an Italian loan from an originally Turkish word meaning "Muslim women's quarters." "The Heist from the Harem" might have been just as good a translation of Mozart's title, but it somehow lacks the dignity we associate with grand opera.
Vocabulary lists containing seraglio
Jane Eyre
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"A Vindication of the Rights of Woman," Vocabulary from the political argument
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A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After making his professional debut in 1959 as First Prisoner in Beethoven's Fidelio at the Dresden State Opera, he saw his big breakthrough in 1962 as Belmonte in Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio.
From BBC • Dec. 26, 2019
"There's always the need to balance a season between different periods, between what is familiar and what is new," said Conlon, who will conduct "Seraglio" and "Tosca."
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2016
Opera's first performances of Mozart's "The Abduction From the Seraglio" in 21 years.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2016
With that, he closed the Figaro score on his desk and proceeded to conduct the whole of Seraglio from memory.
From Time Magazine Archive
And now the gates of the Seraglio were thrown open, and, escorted by the high officers of state and the Ulemas, the Sultan came forth.
From The Lion of Janina The Last Days of the Janissaries by Jókai, Mór
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
