caravanserai
noun/ˌkærəˈvænsəraɪ/, /ˌkærəˈvænsəri/
/ˌkærəˈvænsəraɪ/, /ˌkærəˈvænsəri/
(US English caravansary
/ˌkærəˈvænsəri/
/ˌkærəˈvænsəri/
(plural caravansaries)
)- in the past, a place where travellers could stay in desert areas of Asia and North Africa
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- (formal) a group of people travelling together
Word Originlate 16th cent.: from Persian kārwānsarāy, from kārwān ‘caravan’ + sarāy ‘palace’.
Check pronunciation:
caravanserai