ras

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ras"

English

Etymology 1

From Amharic ራስ (ras). More at Etymology 2.

Noun

ras (plural rases)

1. An Ethiopian king or prince.

Etymology 2

From Arabic رأس (raʔs, “head(land)”). Doublet of ras (Etymology 1) above, as well as of resh; further related to reis.

Noun

ras (plural rases)

1. A headland; a cape.

Usage notes

Chiefly found in proper names.

See also

• ras el hanout (etymologically unrelated)
• ras malai (etymologically unrelated)

Anagrams

• ARS, ARs, ASR, RSA, SAR, Sar, Sar., ars, asr

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin rāsus, perfect passive participle of rādere (“scrape, shave”). Cognate to Spanish raso.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈras]

Participle

ras (feminine rasa, masculine plural rasos, feminine plural rases)

1. past participle of raure

Adjective

ras (feminine rasa, masculine plural rasos, feminine plural rases)

1. close-cropped, shorn
2. smooth, flat, level
3. level, full to the brim (of a container)

   una mesura rasa de farina ― one level measure of flour

Noun

ras m (plural rasos)

1. open country, the open

   al ras ― in the open

Derived terms

• al ras
• rasa

Further reading

• “ras”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “ras” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
• “ras”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈras]

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

ras m anim

1. a knacker, i.e. a person whose job it is to remove animal carcasses

   Synonym: pohodný

2. a strict, cruel, even ruthless person

Declension

Declension of ras (hard masculine animate)

	singular	plural
nominative	ras	rasové
genitive	rasa	rasů
dative	rasovi, rasu	rasům
accusative	rasa	rasy
vocative	rase	rasové
locative	rasovi, rasu	rasech
instrumental	rasem	rasy

Derived terms

nouns

• rasejček
• rasíček
• rasík

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

ras

1. genitive plural of rasa

Further reading

• “ras”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “ras”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “ras”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /raːs/, [ʁɑːˀs]

Verb

ras

1. imperative of rase

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /rɑs/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ras
• Rhymes: -ɑs

Etymology 1

Borrowing from French race.

Noun

ras n (plural rassen, diminutive rasje n)

1. race, breed

Usage notes

• In compounds generally refers to a purebred animal (e.g. rashond (“purebred dog”)).

Derived terms

• hondenras
• paardenras
• rasecht
• rasgeit
• rashond
• raskat
• raskonijn
• rasoptimist
• raspaard
• raspessimist
• rasschaap
• rassenhaat
• rassenleer
• rassenscheiding
• rassensegregatie
• raszuiver
• vuilnisbakkenras

Descendants

• → Indonesian: ras

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch rasch, from Old Dutch *rasc, from Proto-Germanic *raskuz. Cognates include English rash, German rasch.

Adjective

ras (comparative rasser, superlative meest ras or rast)

1. (dated outside fixed expressions) quick

   Synonyms: snel, vlug, rap, rad, kwiek, gezwind

   Het project vordert met rasse schreden. ― The project is advancing rapidly.

Usage notes

• This word has mostly fallen in disuse outside of the set phrase met rasse schreden.

Declension

Declension of ras
uninflected	ras
inflected	rasse
comparative	rasser
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		ras	rasser	het rast het raste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	rasse	rassere	raste
	n. sing.	ras	rasser	raste
	plural	rasse	rassere	raste
definite		rasse	rassere	raste
partitive		ras	rassers	—

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) rasch

Derived terms

• alras

French

Etymology 1

From Old French rés (remodelled after raser), itself from Latin rāsus. Doublet of rez.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁa/ ~ /ʁɑ/
• Rhymes: -ɑ
• Homophone: raz

Adjective

ras (feminine rase, masculine plural ras, feminine plural rases)

1. short
2. close-cropped (of hair etc.)

Derived terms

• à ras bord
• à ras de
• au ras de
• au ras des pâquerettes
• en avoir ras la casquette
• en avoir ras le bol
• en avoir ras le cul
• rase campagne
• table rase

Related terms

• rasibus

Etymology 2

From Amharic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁas/ ~ /ʁɑs/
• Rhymes: -ɑs
• Homophones: race, races (short a only)

Noun

ras m (plural ras)

1. ras (Ethiopian king or prince)

Etymology 3

Adverb

ras

1. (text messaging) alternative letter-case form of RAS (“nothing to report”)

Further reading

• “ras”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Indonesian

Indonesian Wikipedia has an article on:

ras

Wikipedia ^id

Etymology

From Dutch ras, from French race, from Middle French rasse (“entirety of ancestors and descendants of the same family or people”), from Italian razza (13th century), of uncertain origin (more at razza).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈras/ [ˈras]
• Rhymes: -as
• Syllabification: ras

Noun

ras (plural ras-ras)

1. race

   Synonym: rumpun bangsa

Further reading

• “ras” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Amharic ራስ (ras, “head”), from Proto-Semitic *raʾš- (“head”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈras/
• Rhymes: -as
• Hyphenation: ràs

Noun

ras m (invariable)

1. (historical) title of the second-highest grade in the hierarchy of the Ethiopian Empire; ras
2. (figurative, derogatory) any small local authority who exercises power despotically
3. a local boss of organized crime
4. (historical) a Fascist party official

Synonyms

• (Fascist official): gerarca

Related terms

• rais

See also

• negus
• degiac (ethiopian commander of a unit equivalent to a regiment, composed of two to three thousand men)

Juba Arabic

Etymology

From Sudanese Arabic راس (rās), from Arabic رَأْس (raʔs).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɾas/, [ˈɾas]

Noun

ras

1. (anatomy) head
2. top

References

• Ian Smith; Morris Timothy Ama (1985), A Dictionary of Juba Arabic & English‎, 1st edition, Juba: The Committee of The Juba Cheshire Home and Centre for Handicapped Children, page 166

Lithuanian

Verb

ras

1. third-person singular future of rasti
2. third-person plural future of rasti