Meanings
plural raiyats · alternative raiat · alternative ryot
- A peasant or agricultural labourer in South Asia.
In Ireland Paddy makes riots, in Bengal raiyats make paddy; and in this lies the difference between the paddy of green Bengal and Paddy of the Emerald Isle.
1874, Lál Behári Day, Govinda Sámanta, or the history of a Bengal Ráiyat1 more example
They are simply the rank-and-file—the food for fever—sharing with the ryot and the plough-bullock the honor of being the plinth on which the State rests.
1909, Rudyard Kipling, “The Education of Otis Yeere. Part II.”, in Under the Deodars (The Works of Rudyard Kipling), Edinburgh de Luxe edition, Boston, Mass.; London: The Edinburgh Society, →OCLC, page 22
Origin
- Arabicرَعِيَّة“flock, herd”
- Classical Persianرعیت“peasants; population”
- Urduرَعِیَّت“peasant”
- Englishraiyat
Borrowed from Urdu رَعِیَّت (ra'iyat, “peasant”), from Classical Persian رعیت (ra'iyyat, “peasants; population”), from Arabic رَعِيَّة (raʕiyya, “flock, herd”).
More words from Urdu, Classical Persian, Arabic
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
raiyat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/raiyat
“raiyat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/raiyat. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “raiyat,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/raiyat.
Source: raiyat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.