Nair

American  

[nahyer, nahy-er] / naɪər, ˈnaɪ ər /

Also Nayer

noun

• Nair,
  plural
• Nairs
  plural

1. a group of Hindu castes in the Kerala region of India.

2. a member of any one of these castes.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to this group of castes or their members.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Nair
  plural
• Nairs
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of Nair

1580–85; < Portuguese naire < Malayalam nāyar members of ruling caste < Sanskrit nāya to lead

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Nair Nairs

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

We were also joined by Billy Nair, a longtime member of the Natal Indian Congress, sentenced for sabotage as a member of Umkhonto we Sizwe.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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

The Nairs are described as being the handsomest people in the world; the men being tall, sinewy and extraordinarily agile, while the women are slender and graceful, with perfectly modeled figures.

From Religion and Lust or, The Psychical Correlation of Religious Emotion and Sexual Desire by James Weir

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)

Any other arrangement would have seemed merely preposterous to the Nairs; and perhaps if any exclusion had been contemplated it would have been of men rather than of women.

From Appearances Being Notes of Travel by G. Lowes (Goldsworthy Lowes) Dickinson

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

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---