Hypertext Webster Gateway: "pariah"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Pariah \Pa"ri*ah\, n. [From Tamil paraiyan, pl. paraiyar, one of
the low caste, fr. parai a large drum, because they beat the
drums at certain festivals.]
1. One of an aboriginal people of Southern India, regarded by
the four castes of the Hindoos as of very low grade. They
are usually the serfs of the Sudra agriculturalists. See
{Caste}. --Balfour (Cyc. of India).
2. An outcast; one despised by society.
{Pariah dog} (Zo["o]l.), a mongrel race of half-wild dogs
which act as scavengers in Oriental cities.
{Pariah kite} (Zo["o]l.), a species of kite ({Milvus
govinda}) which acts as a scavenger in India.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
pariah
n : a person who is rejected (from society or home) [syn: {outcast},
{castaway}, {Ishmael}]
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