Seraglio

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Seraglio \Se*ragl"io\, n. [It. serraglio, originally, an
     inclosure of palisades, afterwards also, a palace, seraglio
     (by confusion with Per. ser[=a]["i]a a palace, an entirely
     different word), fr. serrare to shut, fr. LL. serra a bar for
     fastening doors, L. sera. See {Serry}, {Series}.]
     1. An inclosure; a place of separation. [Obs.]


        [1913 Webster]
  
              I went to the Ghetto, where the Jews dwell as in a
              suburb, by themselves. I passed by the piazza Judea,
              where their seraglio begins.          --Evelyn.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. The palace of the Grand Seignior, or Turkish sultan, at
        Constantinople, inhabited by the sultan himself, and all
        the officers and dependents of his court. In it are also
        kept the females of the harem.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. A harem; a place for keeping wives or concubines;
        sometimes, loosely, a place of licentious pleasure; a
        house of debauchery.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  seraglio
       n : living quarters reserved for wives and concubines and female
           relatives in a Muslim household [syn: {harem}, {hareem},
           {serail}]