Nair
Americannoun
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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:
Analyst Vignesh Nair switches preference to Meridian Energy, noting its earnings growth leads the sector.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 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
And he didn’t exactly come from nowhere; he’s the son of filmmaker Mira Nair and is open about having been raised in privilege.
From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2026
Glanville even tried using Nair, the hair-removal product, to fight the parasite.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 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 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)
It may temporarily supersede these as in Australia; or it may take their place, as among the Nairs.
From Kinship Organisations and Group Marriage in Australia by Thomas, Northcote Whitridge
The Nairs of Malabar and the Santal of Chota Nagpur are typical representatives.
From Man, Past and Present by Haddon, Alfred Court
The people here are Malabars, of the race of the Nairs of Calicut, who differ much from the other Malabars.
From A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 07 by Kerr, Robert
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
