Vaisya

[ vahys-yuh, vahysh- ]

noun

a member of the Hindu mercantile and professional class, above the Shudras and below the Kshatriyas.: Compare Brahman¹ (def. 1).

Origin of Vaisya

First recorded in 1785–95, Vaisya is from the Sanskrit word vaiśya

Words Nearby Vaisya

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

How to use Vaisya in a sentence

Vaisya, vīs′ya, n. a member of the third caste among the Hindus.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) | Various
The Heads of the Vaisya families in them establish in the cities houses for dispensing charity and medicines.
Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms | Fa-Hsien
In the city there are many Vaisya elders and Sabaean merchants, whose houses are stately and beautiful.
Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms | Fa-Hsien
A Sudra in distress may turn to a handicraft; and in the same circumstances a Vaisya may stoop to service.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 4 | Various
And a Vaisya, having earned wealth, should cause the rites enjoined in the Vedas to be performed for himself.
The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Bk. 4 | Kisari Mohan Ganguli

British Dictionary definitions for Vaisya

Vaisya

/ (ˈvaɪsjə, ˈvaɪʃjə) /

noun

the third of the four main Hindu castes, the traders

Origin of Vaisya

C18: from Sanskrit, literally: settler, from viś settlement

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

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