Etymology Explorer › English

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

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tamilபறையர்drummer
2Tamilபறையன்drummer
3Tamil-அன்—
4Proto-Dravidian*-anṯu—

Words derived from “pariah”

  • pariahdom
  • pariahlike
  • paria
  • pária
Every word from Proto-Dravidian *-anṯu →