English word origin

Etymology of serai

From Persian سرای (sarây, “courtyard; dwelling; palace”), with the sense as a seraglio via its use in Ottoman Turkish.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A palace. · A seraglio. · A caravanserai; an inn.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Persian سرای (sarây, “courtyard; dwelling; palace”), with the sense as a seraglio via its use in Ottoman Turkish.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionسرایfa

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fa",
        "3": "سرای",
        "4": "",
        "5": "courtyard; dwelling; palace",
        "tr": "sarây"
      },
      "expansion": "Persian سرای (sarây, “courtyard; dwelling; palace”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "سرای",
      "سرای#Persian"
    ],
    [
      "courtyard",
      "courtyard"
    ],
    [
      "dwelling",
      "dwelling"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A palace.",
        "A seraglio.",
        "A caravanserai; an inn."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "9a577233426fc4203bc46920d7cfcf4780775c049b78ecb0aaf0844370cd91cb",
      "rawRecordSha256": "73314d303b1f13c249753febac6ec7ec581bd9abe8b58e0277588a221a1b569e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 539443
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

lemongrass

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Malay serai.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "ms:serai",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Malay\", \"term\" : \"serai\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ms\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"serai\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"serai\">\nBorrowed from Malay serai."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "ms:serai",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Malay serai."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "serai",
      "serai#Malay"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "lemongrass"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Brunei",
        "Malaysia",
        "Singapore",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "cbc2b1450ff4a49975569cafafab97844224ef4672399acd9542eb66bbec1d1d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 539445
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for serai →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-c2VyYWk