Nair
Americannoun
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Nair,
plural
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Nairs
plural
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a group of Hindu castes in the Kerala region of India.
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a member of any one of these castes.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of Nair
1580–85; < Portuguese naire < Malayalam nāyar members of ruling caste < Sanskrit nāya to lead
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Nair joins from Lowe’s, where he was overseeing data and AI innovation at the hardware-store chain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Over its 11 seasons, “Grantchester” has featured three vicars, with the latest and last, Alphy Kottaram, played by Rishi Nair.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
The Dali's technical supervisor, Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, also faces criminal charges.
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
An Indian national, Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, 47, who worked for both companies as technical superintendent for the ship, the M/V Dali, is also named in the indictment unsealed on Tuesday.
From Barron's ● May 12, 2026
The aroma that fills, as it were, the nostrils of my memory is the sulfurous, protein-dissolving fetor of Nair.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
A mutual friend made the introductions between the Nairs and the Maccionis, and Le Cirque Delhi was born.
From New York Times ● Sep. 28, 2011
His body-guard and most of his aristocracy consisted of Nairs and Nestorian Christians, but all commerce was in the hands of the Muhammadan merchants.
From Rulers of India: Albuquerque by Henry Morse Stephens
The polyandry of the Nairs, on the Malabar coast, has been cited to prove that polyandry is not due to poverty.
From Folkways A Study of the Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals by William Graham Sumner
The author of the "Spirit of Laws" asserts, that in the caste of Nairs, on the coast of Malabar, a man can have only one wife, while a woman may have several husbands.
From A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 10 (of 10) From "The Works of Voltaire - A Contemporary Version" by Fran?ois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
The Rani and Venjamutta were friendly, but told him he must take his own vengeance on the Nairs for their inhuman action.
From The Pirates of Malabar, and an Englishwoman in India Two Hundred Years Ago by J. (John) Biddulph
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