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

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

Glanville even tried using Nair, the hair-removal product, to fight the parasite.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 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

Praveen Nair, 25, from the Bay Area, said the vigil also marked his first experience with snow on Brown’s campus since enrolling in the school’s computer science Ph.D. program this fall.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

We were also joined by Billy Nair, a longtime member of the Natal Indian Congress, sentenced for sabotage as a member of Umkhonto we Sizwe.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela