Brahmin

American  

[brah-min] / ˈbrɑ mɪn /

noun

Brahmin, plural Brahmins plural

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.

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adjective

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

   the Brahmin attitudes of a true aristocrat.

Brahmin British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Brahmin
  plural
• Brahmins
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Brahmin Brahmins

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 authors describe how Irawati, a Chitpavan Brahmin from a traditionally vegetarian upper-caste Hindu community, bravely ate partially raw meat offered by a tribal leader she wished to study.

From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2025

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

Now he did feel it Previously, when in deepest meditation, he was still his father’s son, he was a Brahmin of high standing, a religious man.

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

Primarily, it’s helpful to remember that as Tamil Brahmins, Ramaswamy’s family sits at the very top of India’s caste system.

From Slate ● Aug. 29, 2023

But where were the Brahmins, the priests, the wise men, who were successful not only in having this most profound knowledge, but in experiencing it?

From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse

Related Words

• courteous
• elegant
• genteel
• polite