serai

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

• IPA^(key): /səˈɹaɪ/
• Rhymes: -aɪ

serai (plural serais)

1. (in Turkish or Muslim Asian contexts) A palace.
2. A seraglio.
3. A caravanserai; an inn.

serai in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

From Malay serai.

serai (uncountable)

1. (Malaysia, Singapore) lemongrass

• Aesir, Aries, ERISA, Resia, aesir, aires, arise, raise, reais

• IPA^(key): /sə.ʁe/, /sʁe/

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• Homophones: serez, serais, serait, seraient

serai

1. first-person singular future indicative of être

• aires, raies, séria, siéra

From Malay serai.

serai

1. Cymbopogon citratus; lemongrass.

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serai

1. Cymbopogon citratus; lemongrass.

• “serai” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

serai

1. first-person singular future indicative of èsser

From Ottoman Turkish سرای‎ (seray, saray), from Persian سرای‎ (sarây).

serai n (plural seraiuri)

1. seraglio, palace

• IPA^(key): /sɪˈra.i/

serai class 7 (plural dirai)

1. trap, snare