PARIAH

 ~A Healing Journal~

2007

 

         

                                           

 

 

 

 

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PARIAH [puh-rahy-uh] noun

a person driven out of a group or community; an outcast

Word History: The word pariah, which can be used for anyone who is a social outcast, independent of social position, recalls a much more rigid social system, which made only certain people pariahs. The caste system of India placed pariahs, also known as Untouchables, very low in society. The word pariah, which we have extended in meaning, came into English from Tamil paṛaiyar, the plural of paṛaiyan, the caste name, which literally means "(hereditary) drummer" and comes from the word paṛai, the name of a drum used at certain festivals.

Cited: American Heritage Dictionary, Kenerman English Dictionary

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