raj

[ rahj ]

/ rɑdʒ /

noun (often initial capital letter)

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

Nearby words

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

raj

/ (rɑːdʒ) /

noun

(in India) government; rule

Word Origin for raj

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

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

Word Origin and History for raj

Raj

British rule in India, 1859, from Hindi raj "rule, dominion, kingdom" (see rajah).