Where does “pariah” come from?

Pariah comes from Tamil பறையர் paraiyer, plural of Tamil பறையன् paraiyar, derived from Tamil பறை parai, a type of drum.

pariah (English): A person who is rejected from society or home; an...

Definitions

  1. A person who is rejected from society or home; an...

Ancestry of “pariah”, step by step

pariah traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Tamil பறையர்

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tamilபறையர்drummer
2Tamilபறையன்drummer
3Tamil-அன்(singular) masculine suffix particle
4Proto-Dravidian*-anṯuIndicates a masculine noun

via Malayalam പറയർ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malayalamപറയർ—

Words derived from “pariah”

Every word from Proto-Dravidian *-anṯu →Every word from Tamil -அன் →Every word from Tamil பறையன் →