jati
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of jati
From the Sanskrit word jāti
Explanation
In Hindu society, a jati is a kind of caste, or social group. There are thousands of different jatis in India. Jati derives from the Sanskrit jāta, "born or brought into existence." While the word is most commonly used to mean a person's caste, which is determined from the minute they're born, it can also be used for other associations, including religious and linguistic groups.
Vocabulary lists containing jati
Early Civilizations of India, Lessons 1–4
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
History of India - Introductory
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
History of India - Middle School and High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
There is a great deal of debate about the origin of the caste system, but the Rig Veda, the oldest texts in Hinduism’s most sacred scriptures, offer a mythical origin of jati.
From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022
A current example of a class-based system is the Hindu caste system in India, called jati, which assigns people their role in society according to the social class into which they are born.
From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022
In a 2014 survey of more than 70,000 people, fewer than 10% of urban Indians said that anyone in their family had married outside their caste and not many more outside their jati or sub-caste.
From BBC • Dec. 7, 2021
In the Indian caste system, an infinitely more elaborate hierarchy, the subcaste, or jati, to which a person was born established the occupation their family fulfilled, from cleaners of latrines to priests in the temples.
From New York Times • Jul. 1, 2020
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
