pariah (English)

Where does "pariah" come from?

The word 'pariah' originated from the Tamil and Malayalam terms for 'drummer,' referring to the group of people who played the 'parai' drum to announce royal proclamations. Because these individuals occupied a lower stratum in the region's historical caste-based social structure, their name was eventually adopted into English to describe any person who is despised or excluded. Alternatively, some linguists suggest the term may also be linked to the Sanskrit word 'para,' meaning 'distant' or 'outsider.'

Full etymology tree

• pariah (English), 'Synonym of outcast: A person despised and excluded by their family, community, or society, especially a member of the untouchable castes in Indian society.'
  • borrowed பறையர் (paṟaiyar) (Tamil), 'the Paraiyar caste'
    • compound பறை (paṟai) (Tamil), 'to speak, say'
      • inherited പറ (paṟa) (Malayalam), 'bushel'
    • affix *-ar (Proto-Dravidian), 'human plural marker'
  • borrowed പറയர் (paṟayaṟ) (Malayalam)
  • borrowed पर (para) (Sanskrit), 'other, different (than)'
    • inherited *páras (Proto-Indo-Iranian)
      • inherited *pér-o-s (Proto-Indo-European)

Direct ancestors

• பறையர் (Tamil)
• पर (Sanskrit)

Updated June 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris