serai

[ suh-rah-ee, suh-rahy ]
See synonyms for serai on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural se·ra·is.
  1. (in Eastern countries) a caravansary.

Origin of serai

1
1600–10; <Turkish seray<Persian sarāy abode, palace; see caravansary

Words Nearby serai

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use serai in a sentence

  • Their first march was to Ramlah, and on arrival they were penned for the day into a great serai, built by a Duke of Burgundy.

    The Age of Erasmus | P. S. Allen
  • My six Ladakis and our seven remaining animals stayed in a serai below the palace.

  • Then, supported by the 1st Fusiliers, the same regiment dashed across the road and burst open the gates of the serai.

    Forty-one years in India | Frederick Sleigh Roberts
  • Hold your fire until within twenty or thirty yards, then fire and charge, and the serai is yours.'

    Forty-one years in India | Frederick Sleigh Roberts
  • Our brave soldiers followed these directions to the letter, and, under cover of Artillery fire, carried the serai.

    Forty-one years in India | Frederick Sleigh Roberts

British Dictionary definitions for serai

serai

/ (sɛˈraɪ) /


noun
  1. (in the East) a caravanserai or inn

Origin of serai

1
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