Brahmin
Americannoun
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Brahmin,
plural
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Brahmins
plural
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Hinduism. Brahman.
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(especially in New England) a person usually from an old, respected family who, because of wealth and social position, wields considerable social, economic, and political power.
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a person who is intellectually or socially aloof.
adjective
noun
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the older spelling of Brahman
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(in the US) a highly intelligent or socially exclusive person, esp a member of one of the older New England families
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an intellectual or social snob
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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Brahminicadjective
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Brahminicaladjective
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non-Brahminicadjective
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non-Brahminicaladjective
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un-Brahminicaladjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Brahmin
First recorded in 1475–85; variant of Brahman 1
Explanation
In Hinduism, a brahmin is a member of the highest class, spiritually and socially. Traditionally, brahmins were priests and teachers. The term brahmin comes from the Sanskrit brahman, which means "prayer" or "the universal soul." People who were born into this group in ancient times were expected to devote their lives to holy pursuits. Within India's caste system, brahmins are the highest in the traditional social hierarchy. In the U.S., the word was appropriated by Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1851 to describe Boston's elite social class, made up of wealthy people with Ivy League educations.
Vocabulary lists containing brahmin
Siddhartha
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Chapters 3–4
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History of India - Middle School and High School
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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.
See Examples For:
The portfolio, which was known as Markel Ventures until last year, includes Lansing, a building-products distributor; Brahmin, a maker of high-end handbags; and Eagle, a Virginia home builder.
From Barron's ● May 8, 2026
Richard Henry Dana was a Boston Brahmin and a Harvard man who took to sea on an ordinary merchant ship.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2025
The shrine's managing board mirrors this sense of respectful co-existence - while two of its trustees are Muslims, its hereditary custodians are from a Hindu Brahmin family.
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2024
In his 2021 book Woke Inc., he wrote about his family’s position as Brahmin, often considered the highest of Hindu castes.
From Slate ● Nov. 9, 2023
"I have been told,” the merchant began, "that you are a Brahmin, a learned man, but that you seek service with a merchant. Are you then in need, Brahmin, that you seek service?”
From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
Like much of Boston, it goes back to the Brahmins, the elite caste of the city, among whom, according to the doggerel, “The Lowells talk only to Cabots, and the Cabots talk only to God.”
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
The census showed, for instance, that traditionally privileged groups such as Brahmins were overrepresented in government jobs compared with their population, whereas some historically disadvantaged castes such as the Mushawars were underrepresented.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 22, 2024
Many Brahmins do not eat meat in accordance with rigid caste rules.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2024
Ramaswamy says he also learned about status and inequality between Brahmins like his family and the rest of Indian society.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 3, 2023
He was no Brahmin, sharing the life of the Brahmins, no ascetic belonging to the Samanas.
From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
