raj

[ rahj ]

/ rɑdʒ /

noun (often initial capital letter)

(in India) rule, especially the British rule prior to 1947.

Nearby words

raising plate, raison d'état, raison d'être, raisonneur, raita, raj, raja yoga, rajab, rajah, rajahmundry, rajar

Origin of raj

1790–1800; < Hindi rāj < Pali, Prakrit rajja < Sanskrit rājya kingdom, rule

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for raj

During the colonial period the Punjabi Muslims formed the prized martial class for the British Raj.
CIA Agents Assess: How Real Is ‘Homeland’?|Chuck Cogan, John MacGaffin|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was like some cryptic English-Chekhovian figure, playing out the last days of his private, imagined Raj.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then a guy named Raj flashed not what was in his pants, but what was in his heart.
And the Wiener Is…My Trip to Brooklyn’s Smallest Penis Pageant|Tessa Miller|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I asked Raj what he found most compelling about his recent visit to Swartland.
Drink Like Nelson Mandela: South Africa’s Exciting New Wine|Jordan Salcito|December 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Raj Rajaratnam, founder of the hedge fund Galleon Group, pursued a Wall Street lifestyle.
Charles Gasparino Details Insider-Trading Investigations in New Book, ‘Circle of Friends’|William O’Connor|July 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The whole British Raj seemed passing away in a single cataclysm.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force|Sir Winston S. Churchill
Perhaps the Brahmins became aware that any foul play would bring the English raj down upon them.
Fifty-One Years of Victorian Life|Margaret Elizabeth Leigh Child-Villiers, Countess of Jersey
It is known that she fell foul of the raj in some way, and they made her come to this place.
Caves of Terror|Talbot Mundy
Raj Shiva parried the blow with his forearm, then his big hands moved swiftly and the knife clattered to the floor.
Think Yourself to Death|C.H. Thames
But if she didn't maintain the dive until the last possible instant, Raj Shiva would get control of the ship and its vital cargo.
Think Yourself to Death|C.H. Thames

British Dictionary definitions for raj (1 of 2)

raj

/ (rɑːdʒ) /

noun

(in India) government; rule

Word Origin for raj

C19: from Hindi, from Sanskrit rājya, from rājati he rules

British Dictionary definitions for raj (2 of 2)

Raj

/ (rɑːdʒ) /

noun

the Raj the British government in India before 1947

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012