Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A person of mixed racial descent.
  • adjective Of mixed racial descent.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A person of mixed European and Asiatic parentage; especially, in India, a person born of a native mother and a Portuguese or French father. See Eurasian.
  • noun By extension, any half-breed; especially, one born of a European parent and a native parent of different race in the country of the latter.
  • Born of mixed European and Asiatic or other native parentage.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun One born of a European parent on the one side, and of a Hindu or Mohammedan on the other. Also adjective.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Describing someone of mixed racial descent in a derogatory manner.
  • noun A derogatory name for a person of mixed racial descent

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an offensive term for the offspring of parents of different races or cultures

Etymologies

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Examples

  • She sets up with a lesbian Polish plumber who is happy to say she has only come over for the money and will be bringing her 10 half-caste kids over as soon as she can, to claim benefits.

    The Truth Behind The £100 Phonecalls « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG Inspector Gadget 2010

  • As was done in North America with children, “half-caste” or not, of the Native American people.

    Rabbit-Proof Fence: Humanity Will Not Fail Alice Walker Blog Administrator 2009

  • "All ready?" the captain asked the engineer, a Portuguese half-caste, whose head and shoulders protruded from the small hatch just for'ard of the cabin, and who wiped the sweat from his face with a bunch of greasy waste.

    THE PEARLS OF PARLAY 2010

  • Shorty, the Japanese half-caste, clown that he was, dancing and grinning on the outskirts of the struggle, with a final grimace and hysterical giggle led the retreat across the poop and down the poop-ladder.

    CHAPTER XLII 2010

  • He was guilty of sharp, ugly curses, and he snapped and growled at the imperturbable half-caste.

    A GOBOTO NIGHT 2010

  • He held out his hand, and the half-caste took it beamingly.

    A GOBOTO NIGHT 2010

  • Stapler, of the recruiting ketch Merry; Darby Shryleton, planter from Tito-Ito; Peter Gee, a half-caste Chinese pearl-buyer who ranged from Ceylon to the Paumotus, and Alfred Deacon, a visitor who had stopped off from the last steamer.

    A GOBOTO NIGHT 2010

  • That he was working up his animosity against the half-caste, and that the explosion might come any time, was apparent to all.

    A GOBOTO NIGHT 2010

  • The half-caste smiled and nodded acquiescence as he folded up the money.

    A GOBOTO NIGHT 2010

  • "I've seen it played," the half-caste murmured gently.

    A GOBOTO NIGHT 2010

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