caste

[ kast, kahst ]

noun

1. Sociology.
   1. 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.
   2. any rigid system of social distinctions.
2. 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 ).
3. any class or group of society sharing common cultural features:

   low caste; high caste.

4. social position conferred upon one by a caste system:

   to lose caste.

5. Entomology. one of the distinct forms among polymorphous social insects, performing a specialized function in the colony, as a queen, worker or soldier.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterized by caste:

   a caste society; a caste system; a caste structure.

caste

/ kɑːst /

noun

1. 1. any of the four major hereditary classes, namely the Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra into which Hindu society is divided See also Brahman Kshatriya Vaisya Sudra
   2. Also calledcaste system the system or basis of such classes
   3. the social position or rank conferred by this system
2. any social class or system based on such distinctions as heredity, rank, wealth, profession, etc
3. the position conferred by such a system
4. entomol any of various types of specialized individual, such as the worker, in social insects (hive bees, ants, etc)

caste

/ kăst /

1. 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.

caste

1. 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

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 class es.

During the height of segregation in the United States, African-Americans were sometimes loosely referred to as a caste.

Other Words From

• casteism noun
• casteless adjective
• anti·caste adjective
• inter·caste adjective
• subcaste noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of caste¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of caste¹

C16: from Portuguese casta race, breed, ancestry, from casto pure, chaste, from Latin castus

Example Sentences

The drafters of the amendment wanted to consign Dred Scott to the dustbin of history—not only by abolishing slavery, but also by compelling the government to forever recognize the equal citizenship of all people born in the U.S., so that no caste of “inferior” people could ever again be established.

From Slate

That includes marrying a much older, undead Greek peasant shunned by this social caste’s peers.

From Salon

For him, Black people, by nature, would permanently exist as a separate caste and class at the bottom of the social order.

From Salon

Unless MLB implements a hard salary cap — and also a salary floor, to force teams like the Pirates and A’s to spend more on payroll — baseball’s financial caste system will continue, to the sport’s detriment.

From Los Angeles Times

Food and food habits are sensitive subjects in culturally-diverse India as they are deeply intertwined with religion and the country's hierarchical caste system.

From BBC

Related Words

• stratum