rayah
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ra·yah
also ra·ya (rä′yə, rī′ə)n. pl. ra·yahs or rayah also ra·yas or raya
A subject of the Ottoman Empire. Used especially of non-Muslims.
[Colloquial Ottoman Turkish rāyā, variant of Ottoman Turkish re'āyā (Modern Turkish reaya), from Arabic ra'āyā, pl. of ra'īya, herd, flock, subject, rayah, from ra'ā, to pasture, feed; see rʕy in Semitic roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
rayah
(ˈrɑːjə; ˈraɪə)n
1. (Islam) (formerly) a non-Muslim subject of the Ottoman Empire. Also (less common): raia
2. (Historical Terms) (formerly) a non-Muslim subject of the Ottoman Empire. Also (less common): raia
[C19: from Turkish raiyye, from Arabic ra'iyah herd, flock]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014