Definition
The head, the top part of the body. Also used to mean the top or beginning of something.
Example
يَضَعُ الطِّفْلُ يَدَيْهِ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ.
Show translation
The child puts his hands on his head.
Etymology
From the Proto-Semitic root *rāʾš-, meaning "head" or "top." Cognates appear across Semitic languages: Hebrew רֹאשׁ (rosh), Aramaic ܪܝܫܐ (rēšā), and Akkadian rēšu — all meaning "head" or "chief." The root carries the extended sense of "beginning" or "foremost," which survives in Arabic in phrases like رَأْسُ السَّنَة (raʾs al-sana, New Year's Day — literally "the head of the year").
Cultural note
رَأْس appears in many fixed Arabic expressions: رَأْسُ الْمَال (raʾs al-māl) means "capital" in business (literally "head of money"), and رَأْس عَلَى عَقِب (raʾs ʿalā ʿaqib) means "upside down." In Modern Standard Arabic and most dialects, the word is also used as a term of affection — calling someone "ya raʾsī" (يا رأسي) expresses endearment or solidarity. Note: in Egyptian Arabic, رَاس (rās) is the common spoken form.