caster

[ kas-ter, kah-ster ]
/ ˈkæs tər, ˈkɑ stər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR caster ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Also castor (for defs 2–5).

verb (used without object)

(of a wheel) to swivel freely in a horizontal plane.

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weal
well-being, prosperity, or happiness.
the intervening time.
a somewhat prolonged, sharp, shrill cry, as of pain, fear, or surprise.
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Origin of caster

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at cast, -er1

OTHER WORDS FROM caster

cast·er·less, adjective

Words nearby caster

castellum, castellón de la plana, castelnuovo-tedesco, castelo branco, castelvetro, caster, caster action, caster sugar, castigate, castiglione, castile

Definition for caster (2 of 2)

caste
[ kast, kahst ]
/ kæst, kɑst /

noun

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.
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.Compare class(def 13).
any class or group of society sharing common cultural features: low caste; high caste.
social position conferred upon one by a caste system: to lose caste.
Entomology. one of the distinct forms among polymorphous social insects, performing a specialized function in the colony, as a queen, worker or soldier.

adjective

of, relating to, or characterized by caste: a caste society; a caste system; a caste structure.

Origin of caste

1545–55; < Portuguese casta race, breed, noun use of casta, feminine of casto < Latin castus pure, chaste

OTHER WORDS FROM caste

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH caste

cast caste class
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to caster

disk, drum, roller, beaker, jug, vial, urn, chalice, decanter, canteen, carafe, whirl, gyre, rotation, circulation, pulley, hoop, circumvolution, round, turn

Example sentences from the Web for caster

British Dictionary definitions for caster (1 of 2)

caster
/ (ˈkɑːstə) /

noun

a person or thing that casts
Also: castor a bottle with a perforated top for sprinkling sugar, etc, or a stand containing such bottles
Also: castor a small wheel mounted on a swivel so that the wheel tends to turn into its plane of rotation

British Dictionary definitions for caster (2 of 2)

caste
/ (kɑːst) /

noun

  1. any of the four major hereditary classes, namely the Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra into which Hindu society is dividedSee 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
any social class or system based on such distinctions as heredity, rank, wealth, profession, etc
the position conferred by such a system
entomol any of various types of specialized individual, such as the worker, in social insects (hive bees, ants, etc)

Word Origin for caste

C16: from Portuguese casta race, breed, ancestry, from casto pure, chaste, from Latin castus
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for caster

caste
[ kăst ]

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for caster

caste
[ (kast) ]

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.

notes for caste

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 classes.

notes for caste

During the height of segregation in the United States, African-Americans were sometimes loosely referred to as a caste.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.