Jastrow: נָשִׂיא

נָשִׂיא m. (b. h.; נָשָׂא) 1) prince, chief, ruler, officer. Num. R. s. 1 לנ׳ שנכנס וכ׳ like unto a chief that entered a country. Ib. שלא מנה נ׳ לשבט וכ׳ he appointed no prince for the tribe of Levi. [Ib. נשיא שבטים, read נְשִׂיאֵי]. Hor. II, 6; a. v. fr.—Pl. נְשִׂיאִים. Num. R. s. 12 למה נזדרזו הנ׳ וכ׳ why were the princes so anxious to be the first &c.? Num. R. s. 3; a. v. fr.—Esp. Nasi, the chief of the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem and of its successor in Palestinian places (v. אָב). Taan. II, 1. Pes. 66ᵃ מינוהו נ׳ עליהם they elected him as their Nasi; a. fr.—R. Judah the Nasi, v. רַבִּי.—Pl. as ab. Ḥag. II, 2; a. e. —2) pl. as ab. clouds. Kidd. 32ᵇ להק"בה … מעלה נ׳ וכ׳ the Lord causes the wind to blow and brings up clouds and lets rain come down &c.