pariah
pronunciation
How to pronounce pariah in British English:
UK [pəˈraɪə]
How to pronounce pariah in American English:
US [pəˈraɪə]
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- Noun:
- a person who is rejected (from society or home)
Word Origin
- pariah
- pariah: [17] Now a general term for an ‘outcast’, pariah came into English from the caste system of southern India. It originally denoted a member of the largest of the lower castes, which was named in Tamil paraiyan. This meant literally ‘drummer’ (it was a derivative of parai ‘large festival drum’), a reference to the hereditary role of the paraiyar (plural) as drummers in festival parades.
- pariah (n.)
- 1610s, from Portuguese paria or directly from Tamil paraiyar, plural of paraiyan "drummer" (at festivals, the hereditary duty of members of the largest of the lower castes of southern India), from parai "large festival drum." "Especially numerous at Madras, where its members supplied most of the domestics in European service" [OED]. Applied by Hindus and Europeans to any members of low Hindu castes and even to outcastes. Extended meaning "social outcast" is first attested 1819.
Example
- 1. And he has become a national pariah .
- 2. A small country with many foes cannot afford to become a pariah .
- 3. Choosing when to welcome a pariah state back into the international fold is fraught with risk .
- 4. Fidel , in his twilight years , occasionally dresses down a bit , perhaps reflecting his attempts to transform himself from pariah to statesman .
- 5. It 's also practically illegal now , and anyone smoking must be truly dedicated to it to put up with being treated like a criminal or a pariah .