rajah

rajah
ra·ja or ra·jah (rä’jə, -zhə)
n. A prince, chief, or ruler in India or the East Indies.
[Hindi rājā, from Sanskrit, king; see reg-.]
Word History: Raja is familiar to us from the Sanskrit rājā, "king," and mahārājā, "great king." The Sanskrit root raj-, "to rule," comes from the Indo-European root *reg-, "to move in a straight line, direct, rule." The same root appears in Italic (Latin) and Celtic. Rēx means "king" in Latin, coming from *reg-s, whence our regal and, through French, royal. Two of the Gaulish kings familiar to us from Caesar, Dumnorix and Vercingetorix, incorporate the Celtic word rīx, "king," in their names. (Rīx also forms part of the name of that fictitious Gaul Asterix.) Germanic at some time borrowed the Celtic word rīx. It appears as reiks, "ruler," in Gothic, as well as in older Germanic names ending in -ric, such as Alaric and Theodoric, the latter of whom has a name that is equivalent to German Dietrich, "people's king." A derivative of Celtic rīx, *rīg-yo-, meaning "rule, domain," was also borrowed into Germanic, and is the source of German Reich, "rule, empire."

Word Histories. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • rajah — rajah …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • rajah — [ ra(d)ʒa ] ou radja [ radʒa ] n. m. • 1659; hindi raja, sanskr. râjâ « roi », par le port. ♦ En Inde, Souverain brahmanique d une principauté indépendante. ⇒ maharajah. La rani, épouse du rajah. Des rajahs, des radjas. Par ext. Noble indien. ●… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • rajah — RAJÁH, rajahi, s.m. 1. Titlu purtat de şeful statului în India antică, devenit mai târziu titlu princiar. 2. Persoană care poartă acest titlu. – Din fr. rajah. Trimis de LauraGellner, 02.07.2004. Sursa: DEX 98  rajáh s. m., pl. rajáhi Trimis de… …   Dicționar Român

  • Rajah — Ra jah (r[aum] j[aum] or r[=a] j[.a]), n. [Hind. r[=a]j[=a], Skr. r[=a]jan, akin to L. rex, regis. See {Regal}, a.] A native prince or king; also, a landholder or person of importance in the agricultural districts. [India] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Rajah — (arab., »Herde«), in der Türkei Bezeichnung der nichtmohammed. Bevölkerung …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Rajah — Rajah, Name für die Stammfürsten der Hindus; in der Türkei aber werden alle Nichtmuhammedaner so genannt …   Damen Conversations Lexikon

  • Rajah — Rajah, arab., d.h. Heerde, die nichtmohammedan. Unterthanen der Pforte …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • rajah — ou raja (ra ja) s. m. Prince indien. ÉTYMOLOGIE    Sanscr. raja, d un radical qui se retrouve dans le lat. regere, d où rex, roi …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • rajah — 1550s, from Hindi, from Skt. rajan king, cognate with L. rex, O.Ir. rig king. Related to raj kingdom, kingship. Rajput member of the ruling caste in northern India (1590s) is from Skt. rajaputrah prince, lit. king s son, from putrah son, boy (Cf …   Etymology dictionary

  • rajah — or raja [rä′jə, rä′jä] n. [Hindi rājā < Sans rājan < rāj, to rule < IE base * reĝ , to put in order > RIGHT, L rex, king] 1. a prince or chief in India 2. a Malay or Javanese chief …   English World dictionary

  • rajah — UK [ˈrɑːdʒə] / US [ˈrɑdʒə] noun [countable] Word forms rajah : singular rajah plural rajahs a king or prince in India …   English dictionary

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