رعية

رعية

Arabic

Etymology

From the root ر ع ي‎ (r-ʿ-y); compare رَعَى‎ (raʿā, “to guard”).

Noun

رَعِيَّة • (raʿiyya) f (plural رَعَايَا‎ (raʿāyā))

1. herd, flock
2. subjects (of a ruler), the ruled
   • Hadith

     ‏كُلُّكُمْ رَاعٍ وَكُلُّكُمْ مَسْؤُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ‎

     kullukum rāʿin wakullukum masʾūlun ʿan raʿiyyatihi

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

     ("the ruler is the guardian of his subjects")

3. subject (of a ruler)
4. (Christianity) parish

Declension

Declension of noun رَعِيَّة (raʿiyya)

Singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	رَعِيَّة raʿiyya	الرَّعِيَّة‎ ar-raʿiyya	رَعِيَّة raʿiyyat
Nominative	رَعِيَّةٌ raʿiyyatun	الرَّعِيَّةُ‎ ar-raʿiyyatu	رَعِيَّةُ raʿiyyatu
Accusative	رَعِيَّةً raʿiyyatan	الرَّعِيَّةَ‎ ar-raʿiyyata	رَعِيَّةَ raʿiyyata
Genitive	رَعِيَّةٍ raʿiyyatin	الرَّعِيَّةِ‎ ar-raʿiyyati	رَعِيَّةِ raʿiyyati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	رَعِيَّتَيْن‎ raʿiyyatayn	الرَّعِيَّتَيْن‎ ar-raʿiyyatayn	رَعِيَّتَيْ‎ raʿiyyatay
Nominative	رَعِيَّتَانِ‎ raʿiyyatāni	الرَّعِيَّتَانِ‎ ar-raʿiyyatāni	رَعِيَّتَا‎ raʿiyyatā
Accusative	رَعِيَّتَيْنِ‎ raʿiyyatayni	الرَّعِيَّتَيْنِ‎ ar-raʿiyyatayni	رَعِيَّتَيْ‎ raʿiyyatay
Genitive	رَعِيَّتَيْنِ‎ raʿiyyatayni	الرَّعِيَّتَيْنِ‎ ar-raʿiyyatayni	رَعِيَّتَيْ‎ raʿiyyatay
Plural	broken plural invariable
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	رَعَايَا‎ raʿāyā	الرَّعَايَا‎ ar-raʿāyā	رَعَايَا‎ raʿāyā
Nominative	رَعَايَا‎ raʿāyā	الرَّعَايَا‎ ar-raʿāyā	رَعَايَا‎ raʿāyā
Accusative	رَعَايَا‎ raʿāyā	الرَّعَايَا‎ ar-raʿāyā	رَعَايَا‎ raʿāyā
Genitive	رَعَايَا‎ raʿāyā	الرَّعَايَا‎ ar-raʿāyā	رَعَايَا‎ raʿāyā

Descendants

• → Armenian: ռայա (ṙaya), ռայաթ (ṙayatʿ), ռահաթ (ṙahatʿ), ռհաթ (ṙhatʿ), ռըհաթ (ṙəhatʿ), ռըյաթ (ṙəyatʿ), ռիաթ (ṙiatʿ), ըռայա (əṙaya), ռա̈յա̈ (ṙäyä); ռայայ (ṙayay)
• → Malay: rakyat
  • Indonesian: rakyat
  • → English: rakyat
• → Classical Persian: رعیت‎ (ra'yat) (see there for further descendants)
• → Portuguese: arraia
• → Swahili: raia

(via plural form رَعَايَا‎ (raʿāyā)):

• → Ottoman Turkish: رعایا‎ (re'aya)
  • → English: rayah
  • → Greek: ραγιάς (ragiás)
  • → Macedonian: раја (raja)
  • → Russian: райя (rajja)
  • → Serbo-Croatian: rája / ра́ја
• → Classical Persian: رعایا‎ (ra'āyā) (see there for further descendants)

References

• Haywood, J.A.; Nahmad, H.M. (1965), “رعية”, in A new Arabic grammar, 2^nd edition, London: Lund Humphries, →ISBN
• Wehr, Hans (1979), “رعي”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN