rayah

or ra·ya

[ rah-yuh, rahy-uh ]
/ ˈrɑ yə, ˈraɪ ə /

noun

a Christian subject of an Ottoman ruler.

Origin of rayah

1805–15; < Turkish reaya < Arabic ra'īyah subject, literally, flock; cf. ryot

Example sentences from the Web for rayah

British Dictionary definitions for rayah

rayah
/ (ˈrɑːjə, ˈraɪə) /

noun

(formerly) a non-Muslim subject of the Ottoman Empire Also (less common): raia

Word Origin for rayah

C19: from Turkish raiyye, from Arabic ra`iyah herd, flock