1
Stage 1 of 3
karwan-sara'i
Persian · medieval
"inn for traveling merchant caravans"
compound of karwan, "caravan," and sara'i, "palace, inn"
2
Stage 2 of 3
caravane
Old French · 1500s
"caravan lodging"
adopted during trade and crusading contact with the Islamic world
3
Stage 3 of 3
caravansary
English · 1590s
"roadside inn for caravans"
entered English describing the large courtyard inns along Silk Road trade routes
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