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Caravanserai: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Caravanserai noun. An inn built round a courtyard, where caravans rested on the old desert trade routes.
How to say it
ka-ruh-VAN-suh-ry/ˌkærəˈvænsəraɪ/
5 syllables, stressed on the third (VAN).
Caravanserai in a sentence
The ruined caravanserai still has the stone troughs where camels once drank.
The hotel lobby was a caravanserai of backpackers, tour groups and lost businessmen.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- inn
- khan
- hostelry
- waystation
Where caravanserai comes from
From Persian kārvānsarāy, from kārvān, caravan, plus sarāy, palace or inn.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The hotel lobby was a _____ of backpackers, tour groups and lost businessmen.
- itinerary
- caravanserai
- peregrination
Show the answer
caravanserai: The hotel lobby was a caravanserai of backpackers, tour groups and lost businessmen.