serai

[suh-rah-ee, suh-rahy]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR serai ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural se·ra·is.

(in Eastern countries) a caravansary.

Origin of serai

1600–10; < Turkish seray < Persian sarāy abode, palace; see caravansary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for serai

lodge, hostelry, hotel, inn, khan, purdah, seraglio, zenana

Examples from the Web for serai

Historical Examples of serai

The tribesmen poured into the bazaar and attacked the serai on all sides.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
"Be sure to come down to the Serai to-morrow," were their parting words.
Stories by English Authors: Orient
Various
The scene in the Serai proved that they were complete to the native mind.
Stories by English Authors: Orient
Various
The natives came to visit us in the serai during the evening.
An Explorer's Adventures in Tibet
A. Henry Savage Landor
He destroyed a battery and magazine, and set a village and serai on fire.
Our Soldiers
W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for serai

serai

noun

(in the East) a caravanserai or inn

Word Origin for serai

C17: from Turkish saray palace, from Persian sarāī palace; see caravanserai

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012