Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Caravansary \Car`a*van"sa*ry\, n.; pl. {Caravansaries}. [F.
   caravans['e]rai, fr. Per. karw[=a]nsar[=a]["i]; karw[=a]n
   caravan + -sar[=a]["i] palace, large house, inn.]
   A kind of inn, in the East, where caravans rest at night,
   being a large, rude, unfurnished building, surrounding a
   court. [Written also {caravanserai} and {caravansera}.]