Ottoman Turkish

Alternative forms

• سارای ‎(saray)

Noun

سرای • ‎(serây, saray)

1. house
2. mansion
3. palace

Derived terms

• سرای بوسنه ‎(Saray-Bosna)

Persian

Alternative forms

• سرا ‎(sarâ)

Etymology

From Middle Persian slʾd ‎(srāy, “hall, house”), from Old Persian *srāda. Compare Old Armenian սրահ ‎(srah), սրահակ ‎(srahak), Judeo-Persian סראה ‎(srāh, “vestibule”), Arabic سُرَادِق ‎(surādiq), and Classical Mandaic ࡎࡓࡃࡒࡀ ‎(sradqāʾ), Iranian borrowings.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sæˈɾɒːj/

Noun

سرای • ‎(sarây) ‎(plural سرای‌ها ‎(sarây-hâ))

1. hall
2. dwelling, house
3. mansion
4. inn
5. palace, grand edifice, king's court, seraglio

Derived terms

• کاروانسرای ‎(kârvânsarây), کاروانسرا ‎(kârvânsarâ)
• صومعه‌سرا ‎(sowme'e-sarâ)
• سراپرده ‎(sarâparde)
• سرایدار ‎(sarâydâr)

Descendants

• > Bashkir: һарай ‎(haray)
• > Ottoman Turkish: سرای ‎(serây, saray), سرا ‎(serâ)
  • > Arabic: سَرَاي ‎(sarāy), سَرَايَة ‎(sarāya), سَرَايَا ‎(sarāyā)
  • Turkish: saray, Sarai
  • > English: serai, sarai, Sarai
  • > Italian: serraglio (influenced)
    • > English: seraglio
    • > French: sérail
      • > English: serail
  • > Hungarian: szeráj
  • > Serbo-Croatian: sàraj / са̀рај

References

• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1892), “سرای”, in A Comprehensive Persian–English dictionary, London: Routledge & K. Paul
• Blair, Sheila S.. "Sarāy." Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Brill Online, 2013. Reference. 28 November 2013 <http://brillonline.nl/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/saray-SIM_6629>
• MacKenzie, D. N. (1971), “srāy”, in A concise Pahlavi dictionary, London, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press
• R. Schmitt, H. W. Bailey, "ARMENIA AND IRAN iv. Iranian influences in Armenian Language", Encyclopædia Iranica, August 12, 2011,
• “srdq)”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2013-11-28
• Ačaṙean, Hračʿeay (1979), “սրահ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Dictionary of Armenian Root Words] (in Armenian), volume IV, 2nd edition, Yerevan: University Press, published 1926–1935, pages 281–282