English
Etymology
From Turkish reaya, from Arabic رَعَايَا (raʕāyā), plural of رَعِيَّة (raʕiyya). [1]
Noun
rayah (plural rayahs)
- (derogatory) A member of the tax-paying lower class of Ottoman society.
References
- ^ "rayah." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2008.