# seraglio

> English word · Noun · IPA /səˈɹæljoʊ/

## Definitions
1. A palace of a sultan.
2. A palace of a sultan.
3. A profligate or decadent residence of a rich person.
4. The sequestered living quarters used by wives and concubines (odalisques) in a Turkish Muslim household.
5. A brothel or place of debauchery.
6. An interior cage or enclosed courtyard for keeping wild beasts.

## Etymology
From Italian serraglio, from Vulgar Latin *serrāculum, from a late form of Latin serāre (“lock up, close”), from sera (“lock, bolt”). The Italian word was used (because of phonetic similarity) to translate Turkish saray (“palace”). Compare serai, serail.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/seraglio