anderun

English

Alternative forms

• anderoon (obsolete)

Etymology

From Persian اندرون (andarun, “interior; women's apartment”).

Noun

anderun (plural anderuns)

1. (historical) The harem of the royal household of the shah of Persia.
   • 2010, Gary Jennings, The Journeyer:

     For instance, one day she arranged for me to sneak into the palace anderun, not for our nighttime frolic, but in the afternoon, […]

   • 2015, Moritz Deutschmann, Iran and Russian Imperialism:

     The anderun, the secluded space, where the Shah's female relatives lived, represented the powerful role of women within the patrimonial structure of the Qajar household and the influence they exercised on the crown prince and his education.

Anagrams

• Nerudan