Etymograph

English

ryot

Ryot comes from Hindi रैयत ‘peasant’, and goes back to Arabic رَعِيَّة ‘flock, herd’.

  1. Arabicc. 500–presentرَعِيَّة1raʕiyya‘flock, herd’
  2. Classical Persianc. 900–presentرَعِیَّت1ra'iyyat‘population, peasants’
  3. Urdumodernرعیت1ra'iyat‘peasant’
  4. Hindic. 1500–presentरैयत1raiyat‘peasant’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1874ryot1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English ryot
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1874, J. Westland, A Report on the District of Jessore: Its Antiquities: “We have seen, however, how the condition arose, namely,…”.

Lineage

  1. Arabicc. 500–presentرَعِيَّةWiktionary, English ryotraʕiyya‘flock, herd’
  2. Classical Persianc. 900–presentرَعِیَّتWiktionary, English ryotra'iyyat‘population, peasants’
  3. UrdumodernرعیتWiktionary, English ryotra'iyat‘peasant’
  4. Hindic. 1500–presentरैयतWiktionary, English ryotraiyat‘peasant’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1874ryotWiktionary, English ryot. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1874, J. Westland, A Report on the District of Jessore: Its Antiquities: “We have seen, however, how the condition arose, namely,…”

Linked words

through Arabic رَعِيَّة ‘flock, herd’

rakyat, 2 more

Today it means

noun A farmer or tiller of the soil.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “ryot”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Arabic رَعِيَّة / ryot

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