pa·ri·ah
(p
-r
)
KEY
NOUN:
- A social outcast:
"Shortly Tom came upon the juvenile pariah of the village, Huckleberry Finn, son of the town drunkard"
(Mark Twain).
- An Untouchable.
ETYMOLOGY:
Tamil
pa
aiyar, pl. of
paaiyan,
pariah caste, from
paai,
festival drum
WORD HISTORY:
The word
pariah, which can be used for anyone who is a social outcast, independent of social position, recalls a much more rigid social system, which made only certain people pariahs. The caste system of India placed pariahs, also known as
Untouchables, very low in society. The word
pariah, which we have extended in meaning, came into English from Tamil
paaiyar, the plural of
paaiyan, the caste name, which literally means "(hereditary) drummer" and comes from the word
paai, the name of a drum used at certain festivals. The word is first recorded in English in 1613. Its use in English and its extension in meaning probably owe much to the long period of British rule in India.
