pariah

     

Pariah, (Tamil language) or Paraya in Malayalam, is the name of the Pariah caste of Inian Hindu society. The word has gained widespread use as an analogy, especially in the phrases "social pariah" and "pariah nation" or "pariah state", as a term for anyone considered an outcast, isolated, or different by others. The word is considered to be offensive to the Pariahs (Pariah drummers). More recently, they have taken to calling themselves Sambavas.

Trivia about pariah

  • This term for a social outcast is from the Tamil for "drummer", a position once held by a person of low caste
  • A Tamil word for "drummer" gave us this term for a social outcast; it's also a member of a low caste in India