noun
Xanadu
ZA-nuh-doo
noun
1
An imagined place of exceptional beauty, luxury, and wonder.
"The resort felt like a private Xanadu, all white sand and quiet luxury."
2
A lavish building or estate built purely for entertainment or luxurious living.
"The billionaire's mansion was a modern Xanadu, complete with its own cinema and zoo."
How to Use Xanadu
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA dreamlike, magnificent place — real or imagined — associated with luxury and wonder.
Common pairings
a private Xanadu
like a Xanadu
Word Forms
Xanadus plural
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Etymology
From the real Xanadu, the Yuan dynasty's summer capital in Mongolia, romanized via Marco Polo's travels; the word became a byword for splendor after Samuel Taylor Coleridge's 1797 poem "Kubla Khan" ("In Xanadu did Kubla Khan / A stately pleasure-dome decree").