Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of the hereditary, endogamous social classes or subclasses of traditional Hindu society, stratified according to Hindu ritual purity, especially the Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra castes.
- noun A social class separated from others by distinctions of hereditary rank, profession, or wealth.
- noun A social system or the principle of grading society based on castes.
- noun The social position or status conferred by a system based on castes.
- noun A specialized level in a colony of social insects, such as ants, in which the members, such as workers or soldiers, carry out a specific function.
from The Century Dictionary.
- A Middle English variant of
chaste . - noun In entomology, any one of the distinct forms found among the polymorphic social insects, especially the true ants and the white ants or termites.
- noun Same as
half-caste . - noun One of the artificial divisions or social classes into which the Hindus are rigidly separated according to the religious law of Brahmanism, and of which the privileges or disabilities are transmitted by inheritance.
- noun Hence A division of society, or the principle of grading society, according to external conditions; a class or grade separated from others by differences of wealth, hereditary rank or privileges, or by profession or employment.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun One of the hereditary classes into which the Hindu are divided according to the laws of Brahmanism.
- noun A separate and fixed order or class of persons in society who chiefly hold intercourse among themselves.
- noun to be degraded from the caste to which one has belonged; to lose social position or consideration.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Any of the
hereditary social classes andsubclasses of South Asiansocieties .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun in some social insects (such as ants) a physically distinct individual or group of individuals specialized to perform certain functions in the colony
- noun a social class separated from others by distinctions of hereditary rank or profession or wealth
- noun (Hinduism) a hereditary social class among Hindus; stratified according to ritual purity
- noun social status or position conferred by a system based on class
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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It may seem to many of my readers that to use the term caste as a principle which impels one Scotchman to help another is not exactly correct; and I must admit to having some doubts on the subject myself.
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But the word "caste" is routinely used by government experts to refer to social strata in underprivileged Muslim communities.
For India's Lowest Castes, Path Forward Is 'Backward' Geeta Anand 2011
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The following is taken from Rumer Godden's short story "The Oyster," about a young Indian, Gopal, of the Hindu Brahmin caste, who is happily studying in France and learning all things western.
Archive 2009-07-01 Linda 2009
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That figure sounds way too low if caste is defined as jati, at least for Bombay.
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The following is taken from Rumer Godden's short story "The Oyster," about a young Indian, Gopal, of the Hindu Brahmin caste, who is happily studying in France and learning all things western.
Housekeeping in India Linda 2009
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The thing about wealth, though, (and I think when we talk class these days, for most people in North America, we are talking about finances, for class as caste is less deeply ingrained here) is that it ebbs and flows.
Privileged kittenpie 2007
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The word caste is infact a Portuguese word and primarily refers to the caste systems found in South America.
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The word caste is derived from the spanish word casta which means breed, race, strain or hereditary complex of hereditary qualities.
What is sociological concept of caste system in India India 2009
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The thing about wealth, though, (and I think when we talk class these days, for most people in North America, we are talking about finances, for class as caste is less deeply ingrained here) is that it ebbs and flows.
Archive 2007-03-01 kittenpie 2007
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Let me remove the word caste for it is politically incorrect etiquette and use the word traditional panchayats.
India's Mob Justice Shantanud 2007
vendingmachine commented on the word caste
In entomology, any one of the distinct forms found among the polymorphic social insects, especially the true ants and the white ants or termites.
October 16, 2019
vendingmachine commented on the word caste
Example: nasutus: One of a caste of termites in which the head is prolonged into a point like a long nose. A duct opens at the extremity of the point and from it issues a fluid used as a cement in. constructing the nest.
October 16, 2019
bilby commented on the word caste
Useful superpower that.
October 16, 2019