Rais

Raʾīs (), plural ruʾasāʾ, is an Arabic title meaning "chief" or "leader". It comes from the word for head, "raʾs". The corresponding word for leadership or chieftaincy is riʾāsa. It is often translated as "president" in Arabic, and as "boss" in Persian. Swahili speakers may also use it for president. The Ottoman Turkish form of the title is reis, which denoted a captain (a term with identical etymology, being from Latin "caput", head).
The term "raʾīs" is of pre-Islamic origin. It may function as an honorific "laqab" in a person's name. In the central Arab world, the term originally meant village headman.
Historically, the "ra’is" of an Ismaili settlement would be the true teacher ("muʿallim-i ṣādiq"), a title given by the Imam of the Time. In contemporary times, a "ra’is" is paralleled with a "mukhi", someone who serves a religious as well as administrative role as the representative of the Imam.
British India.
In British India the landed gentry in Muslim societies often used the word "rais" to describe their aristocratic position held in society. The term "rais" was also often used by Muslims when making deed of endowments in their community. Although, the word meant 'chief' or 'leader' legal documents used it in the context of 'landlords' or landowners. Other terms such as "malik" or "Zamindar" also appeared as 'landlords' or ‘landowners’, even though these titles implied that the individual who bore them was more ruler than proprietor.
However, when describing any aspect of the management of their holdings 'rais or zamindars' employed regal terminology. The "rais" sat upon a throne ("masand or gaddi"). "Riayat", whom British preferred to call tenants or cultivators were literally subjects. When a "rais" met with his "riayat" he described himself as holding court ("darbar"). The money which "riayat" paid his lord was tribute ("nazrana") not rent. The place where he paid the tribute was called a "kachari", just as a government revenue office was, and the clerks who collected, kept accounts and ensured tributes kept coming on time were known by their Mughal courtly styles of ("dewans") and ("sipahis" – a horse trooper).
Urdu.
From Arabic, via Persian, this word came into Urdu as "raees", which means a person belonging to the aristocracy of noble distinction. 
In Urdu, the word "Rais" is also used similarly to the English term "old money," as the opposite or antonym of nouveau riche, a person who has accummulated considerable wealth within his or her generation. 
When the book "The Pleasure of Philosophy" by Will Durant was translated into Urdu, by Syed Abid Ali Abid, he translated the word aristocracy with the Urdu word "raisiyyat" (). 
Palestine.
The Arabic adjective "azam [ عظيم ]"(meaning “great”), is also added to mean 'the great ra’is'. This term, as well as the Hebrew term (Chairman), are used by Israeli media to refer to the President of the Palestinian National Authority, as opposed to (President).
In a New York Times op-ed, commentator Bret Stephens referred to late Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat as "the rais."