wilaya

W4I1L1A1Y4A1
/wɪˈlɑ(ː)jə/

noun

a province or administrative division in some Arabic countries

OriginArabic وِلَايَة →
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Meanings

nounwilaya (plural wilayas or wilayat)

plural wilayas · plural wilayat · alternative wilayah

  1. a province or administrative division in some Arabic countries

    The wilayas [provincial governorates] of Illizi and Adrar in the Sahara have the highest number of cultural associations for their populations, according to the ministry's figures.

    2017, Patrick Crowley, Algeria: Nation, Culture and Transnationalism, 1988–2015, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 104

Origin

  1. Arabicوِلَايَة
  2. Englishwilaya

Borrowed from Arabic وِلَايَة (wilāya). Doublet of vilayet and wilayat.

More words from Arabic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan wilaya
  • wilayaprovince in some Arabic countries
French wilaya
  • wilayaprovince in some Arabic countries
German Wilaya
  • Wilayaprovince in some Arabic countries
Malay wilayah
  • wilayahprovince in some Arabic countries
Polish wilaja
  • wilajaprovince in some Arabic countries
Spanish wilaya
  • wilayaprovince in some Arabic countries
Cite this entry
APA

wilaya. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wilaya

MLA

“wilaya.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wilaya. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wilaya,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wilaya.

Source: wilaya on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.