רשות

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Root
ר־שׁ־ה‎ (r-š-h)

Noun

רְשׁוּת • (r'shút) f (plural indefinite רשויות / רְשֻׁיּוֹת‎)

1. permission, authorization
   • 8th c., Masekhet Soferim

     ‏הַנֵּרוֹת הַלָּלוּ קֹדֶשׁ הֵן, וְאֵין לָנוּ רְשׁוּת לְהִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בָּהֵן, אֶלָּא לִרְאוֹתָן בִּלְבָד‎

     These candles are holy, and we do not have permission to use them, only to look at them.

2. optional, elective
3. possession, domain
   • a. 217 C.E., Mishnah, Shabbat 11:1:

     ‏הַזּוֹרֵק מֵרְשׁוּת הַיָּחִיד לִרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים אוֹ מֵרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים לִרְשׁוּת הַיָּחִיד חַיָּב. מֵרְשׁוּת הַיָּחִיד לִרְשׁוּת הַיָּחִיד וּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים בָּאֶמְצַע רַבְּי עֲקִיבָה מְחַיֵּב וַחֲכָמִים פּוֹטְרִין׃‎‎

     One who throws [on the Sabbath] from the private domain to the public domain or from the public domain to the private domain is liable; [if one throws] from the private domain to the private domain and [passing through] the public domain in the middle—Rabbi Akiva finds [him] liable, but the sages find [him] exempt.

Etymology 2

Root
ר־א־שׁ‎ (r-ʾ-š)

Noun

רָשׁוּת • (rashút) f (plural indefinite רָשׁוּיוֹת‎, plural construct רָשׁוּיוֹת־‎)

1. authority

   ‏הרשות הפלסטינית‎ ― harashút hafalestínit ― the Palestinian Authority

Derived terms

• רָשׁוּת מְחוֹקֶקֶת‎ (rashút m'khoqéqet)

Etymology 3

Noun

רִשּׁוּת • (rishút) m

1. defective spelling of רישות‎

References

• “רשות” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

• רשות‎ on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he

Yiddish

Alternative forms

• רעשוס‎ (reshus) — Soviet phonetic spelling

Etymology

From Hebrew רָשׁוּת‎.

Noun

רשות • (reshus) m

1. power, authority

References

• Uriel Weinreich (1977), “authority”, in Modern English-Yiddish, Yiddish-English Dictionary, New York: Schocken Books, page 23