Dalit

[ dah-lit ]

noun

, Sometimes Offensive.

, plural Da·lits, (especially collectively) Da·lit.

1. a member of the Scheduled Castes in India, sometimes also considered to include a member of the Scheduled Tribes.
2. a member of any of India’s oppressed peoples.

Dalit

/ ˈdɑːlɪt /

noun

1. offensive.
   a member of the lowest class in India, whom those of the four main castes were formerly forbidden to touch Formerly calleduntouchable

Usage Note

The term Dalit, which has replaced untouchable, can have negative connotations: its literal meaning is “oppressed; broken.” The Indian courts and government instead use the terms Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe. But Dalit is used in the media and has been adopted by politically active group members as a positive term of self-reference. It generally represents a sense of solidarity and identity and holds political significance for members of this community.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dalit¹

First recorded in 1945–50; from Hindi dalit, from Neo-Sanskrit dalita, specific use of Sanskrit dalita “broken,” from root dal- “to break, burst, split”

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dalit¹

from Hindi, from Sanskrit dalita , literally: oppressed

Example Sentences

Last year Namita programmed a whole raft of Dalit or “untouchable” writers from across India.

From The Daily Beast

Months in, I spent time with a woman who was a dalit, an outcast.

From The Daily Beast

Manigay pay si dagum yan ūsay odang yan usay dalit kitkitoi waday.

From Project Gutenberg