caste

[kast, kahst]

noun

1. Sociology.

   1. an endogamous and hereditary social group limited to persons of the same rank, occupation, economic position, etc., and having mores distinguishing it from other such groups.

   2. any rigid system of social distinctions.

2. Hinduism.,  any of the social divisions into which Hindu society is traditionally divided, each caste having its own privileges and limitations, transferred by inheritance from one generation to the next; jati.

3. any class or group of society sharing common cultural features.

   low caste; high caste.

4. social position conferred upon one by a caste system.

   to lose caste.

5. Entomology.,  one of the distinct forms among polymorphous social insects, performing a specialized function in the colony, as a queen, worker or soldier.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterized by caste.

   a caste society; a caste system; a caste structure.

caste

/ kɑːst /

noun

1. 1. any of the four major hereditary classes, namely the Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra into which Hindu society is divided See also Brahman Kshatriya Vaisya Sudra

   2. Also called: caste system. the system or basis of such classes

   3. the social position or rank conferred by this system

2. any social class or system based on such distinctions as heredity, rank, wealth, profession, etc

3. the position conferred by such a system

4. entomol any of various types of specialized individual, such as the worker, in social insects (hive bees, ants, etc)

caste

1. A specialized group carrying out a specific function within a colony of social insects. For example, in an ant colony, members of the caste of workers forage for food outside the colony or tend eggs and larvae, while the members of the caste of soldiers, often larger with stronger jaws, are responsible for defense of the colony.

caste

1. One of the four hereditary social divisions in Hinduism. Members of any one caste are restricted in their choice of occupation and may have only limited association with members of other castes.

Caste has come to mean a group of persons set apart by economic, social, religious, legal, or political criteria, such as occupation, status, religious denomination, legal privilege, skin color, or some other physical characteristic. Members of a caste tend to associate among themselves and rarely marry outside the caste. Castes are more socially separate from each other than are social class es.

During the height of segregation in the United States, African-Americans were sometimes loosely referred to as a caste.

Other Word Forms

• casteism noun
• casteless adjective
• anticaste adjective
• intercaste adjective
• subcaste noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of caste¹

First recorded in 1545–55; from Portuguese casta “race, breed,” noun use of casta, feminine of casto, from Latin castus “pure, chaste ”

Word History and Origins

Origin of caste¹

C16: from Portuguese casta race, breed, ancestry, from casto pure, chaste, from Latin castus

Example Sentences

He talked of governance, jobs, forced migration for jobs and education - a compelling agenda in a state long trapped by caste and patronage politics.

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Proteins, of course; RNA acts as the major-domo, a bridge between the castes.

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A full count of castes promises a sharper picture of who truly benefits from affirmative action and who is left behind.

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But it still came as a shock to the system and broke basically all the rules of American politics, at least as understood by its self-appointed caste of experts.

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Known for his colourful personality and witty one-liners, Yadav's rise as a politician who championed marginalised caste groups transformed the political landscape of the state.

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Related Words

• stratum