Nair

American

[nahyer, nahy-er] / naɪər, ˈnaɪ ər /

Also Nayer

noun

plural

Nair, Nairs

a group of Hindu castes in the Kerala region of India.
a member of any one of these castes.

adjective

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

"There are established processes to produce tagatose, but they are inefficient and expensive," said Nik Nair, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at Tufts.

From Science Daily • Jan. 13, 2026

His mother, filmmaker Mira Nair, is well-known there.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 19, 2025

Zohran, 34, is the son of Prof Mahmood Mamdani, a prominent Ugandan academic, while his mother, Mira Nair, is an acclaimed filmmaker.

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023