Note 24 — Chapter III
Reading edition
Reis, from the Arabic Râs (the head), answers in some respects to captain, a word of similar origin. Thus the master of a shin is called the Reis. Sir John Malcolm says, "it is equivalent to esquire, as it was originally understood. It implies in Persia the possession of landed estates and some magisterial power. The reis is in general the hereditary head of a village."