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car·a·van·sa·ry

(kăr′ə-vănsə-rē) also car·a·van·se·rai

(-rī′)

n. pl. car·a·van·sa·riesalso car·a·van·se·rais

1. An inn built around a large court for accommodating caravans along trade routes in central and western Asia.

2. A large inn or hostelry. In both senses also called serai.

[French caravanserai, from Persian kārvānsarāy : kārvān, caravan; see CARAVAN + sarāy, camp, palace; see terə-² in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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