Nair

[ nahyer, nahy-er ]

noun,plural Nair, Nairs.
  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.

Origin of Nair

1
1580–85; < Portuguese naire < Malayalam nāyar members of ruling caste < Sanskrit nāya to lead
  • Also Nayer .

Words Nearby Nair

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Nair in a sentence

  • Just as he was about to set off a large boat came to the ship, bringing an officer of the King, called a Nair.

    Notable Voyagers | W.H.G. Kingston and Henry Frith
  • He argues however on a later page153 that Nair polyandry, which is more properly termed promiscuity, is group marriage.

  • Cornely, there won't never be no mo'—there'll be Nair another baby to you, honey.

  • A Nair woman is no more likely to overstep the mores of her society than an English woman is to overstep the mores of hers.

    Folkways | William Graham Sumner
  • And likewise as regards the Nair women and the peasant women: these practices are more observed in the country.