caravanserai
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caravanserai
- /ˌkæɹəˈvænsəɹaɪ/ UK
- /ˌkɛɹəˈvænsəˌɹaɪ/ US
Where it comes from
Borrowed either:
* from Middle French carvansera, carvassera (modern French caravansérail, carauanserrail (obsolete), caravansara (obsolete)); or
* directly from its etymon Ottoman Turkish كاروانسَرای (karvanseray), كَروانسَرای (kervanseray) (modern Turkish kervansaray), from Old Anatolian Turkish كاروانسرای (kārvān-serāy); or
* directly from its etymon Persian کاروانسرای (kârvânsarây), from کاروان (kârvân, “caravan; convoy”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ker- (“army”)) + سرای (sarây, “courtyard, hall; dwelling, house; inn; mansion, palace”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *terh₂- (“to cross over; to pass through; to overcome”).
Cognates
* Dutch karavanserai, carewansera (obsolete)
* German Karawanserei, Caravansera (obsolete)
* Italian caravanserraglio, carvasarà (obsolete), carvanserà (obsolete)
* Portuguese caravançará, caravançarai
* Spanish caravasar
noun caravanserais · caravansarai · caravanseray · caravansaray · caravansary · caravansery
-
A roadside inn, usually having a central courtyard where caravans (see sense 3) can rest, providing accommodation for travellers along trade routes in Asia and North Africa.
A dervise travelling through Tartary, being arrived at the town of Balk, went into the king's palace by mistake, as thinking it to be a public inn, or caravansary. […] It happened that the king himself passed through the gallery during this debate, and, smiling at the mistake of the dervise, asked h
Similar: lodging place
- A place resembling a caravanserai (sense 1) as being a place for resting temporarily, or a meeting place (especially one that is busy, or where people of different cultures encounter each other). Conſider, I beſeech you, vvhat proviſion and accommodation, the Author of our being has prepared for us, that vve might not go on our vvay ſorrovving—hovv many caravanſera's of reſt—vvhat povvers and faculties he has given us for taking it—vvhat apt objects he has placed in our vvay to entertain us;
-
Synonym of caravan (“a convoy of travellers, their cargo and vehicles, and pack animals”).
There they go, our brothers who have been educated at public schools and universities, mounting those steps, passing in and out of those doors,[…]. It is a solemn sight always—a procession, like a caravanserai crossing a desert.
Similar: caravan
- A hostelry, an inn; also (humorous), an (upscale) hotel. By the bye it is as well to mention, for the benefit of the inexperienced, that there are no Inns in Ireland; all are hotels, from the lowest road cabin to the splendid caravanserai, with all its appurtenances of luxury and ease.
Translations
Every language
noun roadside inn usually having a central courtyard where caravans can rest
| Español | caravasar, caravansaray |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 캐러밴서라이 kaereobaenseorai |
| 日本語 | キャラバンサライ kyarabansarai |
| 中文 | 商隊旅館 /商队旅馆 shāngduì lǚguǎn |
| हिन्दी | कारवां सराय kārvā̃ sarāy |
| Português | caravançarai, caravançará, caravancerá |
| Français | caravansérail |
| Deutsch | Karawanserei |
| Italiano | caravanserraglio |
| Ελληνικά | καραβανσεράι karavanserái |
| Română | caravanserai |
| Русский | караван-сара́й karavan-saráj, каравансара́й karavansaráj |
| العربية | كَارْوَانْسَرَا kārwānsarā, خَان ḵān |
| עברית | חאן |
Talk about this word "caravanserai." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/caravanserai. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. caravanserai. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/caravanserai "caravanserai." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/caravanserai.Cite this
@misc{caravanserai_2026,
title = {caravanserai},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/caravanserai},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
