Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

Brahman

1 American  
[brah-muhn] / ˈbrɑ mən /

noun

Hinduism.

plural

Brahmans

  1. Also a member of the highest, or priestly, class among the Hindus.

  2. Also the impersonal supreme being, the primal source and ultimate goal of all beings, with which Atman, when enlightened, knows itself to be identical.

Brahman 2 American  
[brey-muhn, brah-] / ˈbreɪ mən, ˈbrɑ- /

noun

  1. any of several breeds of Indian cattle, especially a grayish, heat-resistant American breed raised chiefly in the Gulf States.

Brahman British  
/ brɑːˈmænɪk, ˈbrɑːmən /

noun

  1. Also called (esp formerly): Brahmin.  (sometimes not capital) a member of the highest or priestly caste in the Hindu caste system

  2. Hinduism the ultimate and impersonal divine reality of the universe, from which all being originates and to which it returns

  3. another name for Brahma 1

"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

Other Word Forms

  • Brahmanic adjective
  • Brahmanical adjective
  • non-Brahmanic adjective
  • non-Brahmanical adjective

Etymology

Origin of Brahman1

First recorded in 1475–85; from Sanskrit brāhmaṇa Brahman 1 ( for def. 1 ), brahman Brahman 1 ( for def. 2 )

Origin of Brahman2

1935–40; special use of Brahman priest

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A couple of Brahman cows stand in a field before it cuts to the Texas town’s historic downtown.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2023

Toward the end of the Gupta period, in the sixth century, rulers began giving land grants to officials and Brahman priests to help stimulate local economies.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

The supreme being from whom the universe emerged, Brahman, appears in the ancient sacred writings known as the Vedas without gender.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 8, 2022

Workers moved the startled Brahman along by standing behind them and yelling or banging the side of the truck, since cattle are especially sensitive to noise, until they boarded the boat.

From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2022

He sat thus, lost in meditation, thinking Om, his soul as the arrow directed at Brahman.

From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.