رَعِيَّةٌ

[with ة affixed لِلنَّقْلِ, i. e., to transfer the word from the category of epithets to that of substantives,] Cattle pasturing, or pasturing by themselves: and cattle kept, tended, or pastured: (K, TA:) plural رَعَايَا: (TA:) this latter (the plural) signifies cattle kept, tended, or pastured, for any one; (K, TA;) for the subjects and for the Sultán; (TA;) as also ↓ رَعَاوِيَّةٌ: (K, TA: in some copies of the K رَعَاوِيَة, without teshdeed:) and ↓ أَرْعَاوِيَّةٌ signifies cattle kept, tended, or pastured, for the Sultán, (K, TA,) especially, and upon which are his brands and marks. (TA.) Hence the tradition, كُلُّ رَاعٍ مَسْوءُولٌ عِنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ [Every pastor shall be questioned respecting his pastured cattle: or every ruler shall be questioned respecting his subjects; agreeably with what follows]. (TA.)

The people ruled or governed; the subjects of a ruler or governor: (Msb, K:) the community; the people in common or in general; or the common people: (S:) [any persons or person, and things or thing, in the keeping, or under the guardianship or rule or government, of a man or woman:] see رَاعٍ, in the latter half of the paragraph: plural as above. (TA.)