reis
Pluralreises
- 1Plural of real.
She saved every coin until she had thousands of reis tucked away.
The tax collector demanded several hundred reis from each household.
Note
The plural belongs with the money meanings of real: the coin worth one real, and the former unit of currency of Spain and its colonies. That is why it turns up in sums and savings, such as thousands of reis or a few hundred reis owed. It shares nothing but its spelling with the Ottoman naval title.
- 2A holder of an Ottoman military rank similar to that of a naval captain.
The reis signaled the squadron to turn toward the enemy ships.
After years at sea, he was promoted to reis and given his own vessel.
Note
Arabic raʔīs, "head, chief, leader," lies behind this title, which English uses for a commander at sea in the Ottoman navy. It belongs to historical writing, not to any rank in use today. Its own plural is the regular reises, which keeps it apart from the identical spelling that serves as a plural of the coin real. These are two unrelated words that happen to meet in one form.
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Origin
From Arabic رَئِيس (raʔīs), meaning "head, chief, leader."