caste

[ kast, kahst ]

/ kæst, kɑst /

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See synonyms for: caste / caster on Thesaurus.com

noun

Sociology.

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.
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.

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Origin of caste

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

OTHER WORDS FROM caste

casteism, nouncasteless, adjectivean·ti·caste, adjectivein·ter·caste, adjective

subcaste, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH caste

cast, caste

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use caste in a sentence

The Shakyas and the Yadavs both fall into the category of “Other Backward Classes,” or OBCs — historically oppressed low-caste groups.
In India, the complicated truth behind the killing of two teenagers|Mythili G. Rao|February 19, 2021|Washington Post
We have strict policies that prohibit any discrimination or harassment, including based on caste, and we provide training for all employees to ensure our policies are upheld.
India’s engineers have thrived in Silicon Valley. So has its caste system.|Nitasha Tiku|October 28, 2020|Washington Post
A subcaste of Bania, whose name is derived from the same place.
The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India--Volume I (of IV)|R.V. Russell
A subcaste of Khonds, being the most Hinduised section of this tribe.
The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India--Volume I (of IV)|R.V. Russell

The members of this subcaste only kill birds of a black colour.
The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India--Volume I (of IV)|R.V. Russell
Persons who have committed a caste offence and cannot pay the fine imposed on them for it also go into this subcaste.
The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India|R. V. Russell
A man will take any kind of food cooked by a man of another subcaste, but from a woman only such as is not mixed with water.
The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India|R. V. Russell

British Dictionary definitions for caste

caste

/ (kɑːst) /

noun

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

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.

Cultural definitions for caste

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.

caste

Origin of caste

OTHER WORDS FROM caste

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH caste

Words related to caste

How to use caste in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for caste

Word Origin for caste

Scientific definitions for caste

Cultural definitions for caste

notes for caste

notes for caste