pariah dog

English

Alternative forms

• pariah

Etymology

Ultimately from Sanskrit पर (para, “distant; outsider, stranger”).

Noun

pariah dog (plural pariah dogs)

1. (zoology) Ellipsis of Indian pariah dog: a breed indigenous to India.
2. (zoology) Synonym of pye-dog: a half-wild stray dog, particularly in Indian contexts.

References

• “pariah”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “pariah dog”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.