SERAGLIO, formed from the Persian word seraw, or Turkish word serai, which signifies a house, is commonly used to express the house or palace of a prince. In this sense it is frequently used at Constantinople, where the houses of foreign ambassadors are called seraglios. But it is commonly used by way of eminence for the palace of the grand signior at Constantinople, where he keeps his court, where his concubines are lodged, and where the youth are trained up for the chief posts of the empire.