seraglio

Where does the word "seraglio" come from? It comes from Persian sara'i, passing through Turkish and Italian before entering English (1580s).

Seraglio’s story begins in Persian: sara'i meant “palace, mansion.” Meant "palace" or "inn". By medieval, the word had taken hold in Turkish as saray. Became the word for the Ottoman sultan's palace. From there it passed into Italian as seraglio by 1500s. Reshaped by folk association with Italian "serrare," to lock up. It reached English by 1580s as seraglio. Entered English for the secluded women's quarters of a Muslim household or palace. Today, seraglio means the harem of a Muslim household, especially historically in the Ottoman sultan's palace.

1. Stage 1 · Persian · medieval sara'i "palace, mansion", meant "palace" or "inn".
2. Stage 2 · Turkish · medieval saray "palace, court", became the word for the Ottoman sultan's palace.
3. Stage 3 · Italian · 1500s seraglio "sultan's palace, harem", reshaped by folk association with Italian "serrare," to lock up.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1580s seraglio "harem quarters", entered English for the secluded women's quarters of a Muslim household or palace.