رعية

Arabic

Etymology

Root
ر ع ي (r-ʕ-y)

Compare رَعَى (raʕā, “to guard”).

Noun

رَعِيَّة • (raʕiyya) f (plural رَعَايَا (raʕāyā))

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

     كُلُّكُمْ رَاعٍ وَكُلُّكُمْ مَسْؤُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ

     kullukum rāʕin wakullukum masʔūlun ʕan raʕiyyatihi

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

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

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

Declension

Declension of noun رَعِيَّة (raʕiyya)

Singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	رَعِيَّة raʕiyya	الرَّعِيَّة ar-raʕiyya	رَعِيَّة raʕiyyat
Nominative	رَعِيَّةٌ raʕiyyatun	الرَّعِيَّةُ ar-raʕiyyatu	رَعِيَّةُ raʕiyyatu
Accusative	رَعِيَّةً raʕiyyatan	الرَّعِيَّةَ ar-raʕiyyata	رَعِيَّةَ raʕiyyata
Genitive	رَعِيَّةٍ raʕiyyatin	الرَّعِيَّةِ ar-raʕiyyati	رَعِيَّةِ raʕiyyati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	رَعِيَّتَيْن raʕiyyatayn	الرَّعِيَّتَيْن ar-raʕiyyatayn	رَعِيَّتَيْ raʕiyyatay
Nominative	رَعِيَّتَانِ raʕiyyatāni	الرَّعِيَّتَانِ ar-raʕiyyatāni	رَعِيَّتَا raʕiyyatā
Accusative	رَعِيَّتَيْنِ raʕiyyatayni	الرَّعِيَّتَيْنِ ar-raʕiyyatayni	رَعِيَّتَيْ raʕiyyatay
Genitive	رَعِيَّتَيْنِ raʕiyyatayni	الرَّعِيَّتَيْنِ ar-raʕiyyatayni	رَعِيَّتَيْ raʕiyyatay
Plural	broken plural invariable
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	رَعَايَا raʕāyā	الرَّعَايَا ar-raʕāyā	رَعَايَا raʕāyā
Nominative	رَعَايَا raʕāyā	الرَّعَايَا ar-raʕāyā	رَعَايَا raʕāyā
Accusative	رَعَايَا raʕāyā	الرَّعَايَا ar-raʕāyā	رَعَايَا raʕāyā
Genitive	رَعَايَا raʕāyā	الرَّعَايَا ar-raʕāyā	رَعَايَا raʕāyā

Descendants

• → Armenian: ռայա (ṙaya), ռայաթ (ṙayatʻ), ռահաթ (ṙahatʻ), ռհաթ (ṙhatʻ), ռըհաթ (ṙəhatʻ), ռըյաթ (ṙəyatʻ), ռիաթ (ṙiatʻ), ըռայա (əṙaya), ռա̈յա̈ (ṙäyä); ռայայ (ṙayay)
• → Malay: rakyat
  • Indonesian: rakyat
  • → English: rakyat
• → Classical Persian: رعیت (ra'iyat) (see there for further descendants)
• → Portuguese: arraia
• → Swahili: raia

(via plural form رَعَايَا (raʕāyā)):

• → 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