Brahmin

[brah-min]

noun

plural

Brahmin, Brahmins 

1. Hinduism.,  Brahman.

2. (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.

3. a person who is intellectually or socially aloof.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a Brahmin.

   the Brahmin attitudes of a true aristocrat.

Brahmin

/ ˈbrɑːmɪn /

noun

1. the older spelling of Brahman

2. (in the US) a highly intelligent or socially exclusive person, esp a member of one of the older New England families

3. an intellectual or social snob

Other Word Forms

• Brahminic adjective
• Brahminical adjective
• non-Brahminic adjective
• non-Brahminical adjective
• un-Brahminical adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Brahmin¹

First recorded in 1475–85; variant of Brahman ¹

Example Sentences

A disillusioned, admittedly misanthropic Boston Brahmin, Lowell came to see himself as a scientist with the soul of a poet, or a poet with scientific instincts.

From Los Angeles Times

Richard Henry Dana was a Boston Brahmin and a Harvard man who took to sea on an ordinary merchant ship.

From Los Angeles Times

On the top are Brahmins, the priestly class; while at the bottom are Dalits, a caste so lowly you’re not even supposed to shake hands with them.

From Salon

Brahmin women speak of uniting Brahmins and the Hindu community to contribute "to the building of the Hindu nation".

From BBC

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

Related Words

• courteous 
• elegant 
• genteel 
• polite