Caravanserai

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /kaɹəˈvansəɹʌɪ/

Alternative forms

• caravansarai, caravansary

Origin

From Persian کاروانسرای, from کاروان (kârvân, "caravan") + سرای (sarây, "palace, dwelling, enclosed courts").

Full definition of caravanserai

Noun

1. A roadside inn having a central courtyard where caravans can rest.
• 1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society 2010, p. 48:Eight days later, after leaving the desert and riding through neatly tended villages and snow-capped mountain scenery, he arrived there, hiring himself a room in a caravanserai near the bazaar.
2. A home or shelter for caravans.

Synonyms

• khan