Pariah Definition
A demographic group, species, or community that is generally despised.
Other Word Forms of Pariah
Noun
Origin of Pariah
-
From Tamil பறையர் (paṟaiyar), from பறையன் (paṟaiyaṉ, “drummer"), from பறை (paṟai, “drum"). Parai refers in Tamil to a type of large drum designed to announce the king's notices to the public. The people who made a living using the parai were called paraiyar; in the caste-ridden society they were in the lower strata, hence the derisive paraiah and pariah. Now the term is used to describe an outcast in English.
From Wiktionary
From Tamil paṟaiyan member of a Dalit group of southern India traditionally performing as drummers and performing other tasks considered unclean (from paṛai festival drum) and its Malayalam equivalent, paṟayan (from paṛa festival drum)
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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