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.
But with the Prince Andrew imbroglio in the seraglio of Jeffrey Epstein, and with Harry’s run for the Hollywood Hills, it is clear that many in her family are not interested in moral authority.
From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2020
Mischievous mice, an exotic peacock, the Pasha's seraglio and even a curious monster from Where the Wild Things Are create a blissful return to childhood.
From Seattle Times • May 8, 2012
Even in Mexico, at a kind of seraglio for impotent veterans, he finds little sympathy among his own crippled kind.
From Time Magazine Archive
A true Arabian Nights tale of 19th century Russia's subjugation of unruly Caucasus tribesmen, replete with high-bouncing feats of battlefield and seraglio.
From Time Magazine Archive
Oft doth reason, enthroned in the pillowed seraglio of the brain, hang back; whereas the flesh, which must walk abroad in the streets, finds its own temerity.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
