ryot
/ˈrʌɪət
/noun dated
An Indian peasant or tenant farmer.The Vice-Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and the Director of Seed Certification also visited the farm and answered the queries of the ryots....
- The unscrupulous ryots have been filling up open pits with tank water through a drain.
- Because, in the preceding years, the ryots underwent a severe prolonged spell of drought.
Origin
From Urdu raiyat, from Arabic ra‘īyya 'flock, subjects', from ra‘ā 'to pasture'.