Nair

American  

[nahyer, nahy-er] / naɪər, ˈnaɪ ər /

Also Nayer

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.

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adjective

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

Etymology

Origin of Nair

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

Example Sentences

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

Singapore-based Synergy Marine, its India-based subsidiary Synergy Maritime, and Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair were charged with conspiracy, obstruction, and false statements.

From The Wall Street Journal • 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

Months earlier, Mamdani had turned Bollywood into campaign language, a nod to his South Asian roots - his mother is filmmaker Mira Nair, and his father, Mahmood Mamdani, a Ugandan-born scholar of Indian descent.

From BBC • Nov. 5, 2025

What if I could be her Ava DuVernay or her Mira Nair?

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon