What does caste mean?
Definitions for caste
kæst, kɑstcaste
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word caste.
Princeton's WordNet
castenoun
social status or position conferred by a system based on class
"lose caste by doing work beneath one's station"
castenoun
(Hinduism) a hereditary social class among Hindus; stratified according to ritual purity
castenoun
a social class separated from others by distinctions of hereditary rank or profession or wealth
castenoun
in some social insects (such as ants) a physically distinct individual or group of individuals specialized to perform certain functions in the colony
Wiktionary
castenoun
Any of the hereditary social classes and subclasses of South Asian societies.
Etymology: From or casta, of uncertain origin. The OED derives it from casto, from castus.
Wikipedia
Caste
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultural notions of purity and pollution. Its paradigmatic ethnographic example is the division of India's Hindu society into rigid social groups, with roots in south Asia's ancient history and persisting to the present time. However, the economic significance of the caste system in India has been declining as a result of urbanisation and affirmative action programs. A subject of much scholarship by sociologists and anthropologists, the Hindu caste system is sometimes used as an analogical basis for the study of caste-like social divisions existing outside Hinduism and India. The term "caste" is also applied to morphological groupings in eusocial insects such as ants, bees, and termites.
ChatGPT
caste
Caste is a traditional social hierarchy system, particularly common in countries like India, where individuals are born into a certain socio-economic status and occupational group. This system, based principally on heredity, often determines a person's social status, roles, lifestyle, privileges, and limitations. Membership in a caste is typically lifelong and immutable. Castes might also be associated with rigid rules on intermarriage and social interaction.
Webster Dictionary
Castenoun
one of the hereditary classes into which the Hindoos are divided according to the laws of Brahmanism
Castenoun
a separate and fixed order or class of persons in society who chiefly hold intercourse among themselves
Etymology: [Pg. casta race, lineage, fr. L. castus pure, chaste: cf. F. caste, of same origin.]
Wikidata
Caste
Caste is a form of social stratification characterized by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultural notions of purity and pollution. Its paradigmatic ethnographic example is the division of India's Hindu society into rigid social groups, with roots in India's ancient history and persisting until today. However, the economic significance of the caste system in India has been declining as a result of urbanization and affirmative action programs. A subject of much scholarship by sociologists and anthropologists, the Hindu caste system is sometimes used as an analogical basis for the study of caste-like social divisions existing outside Hinduism and India. According to UNICEF and Human Rights Watch, caste discrimination affects an estimated 250 million people worldwide.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Caste
käst, n. a term applied chiefly to distinct classes or sections of society in India, and, in a modified sense, to social distinctions of an exclusive nature among other nations.—Lose caste, to descend in social rank. [A name given by the Portuguese to the classes of people in India; Port. casta, breed, race.—L. castus, pure, unmixed.]
The Nuttall Encyclopedia
Caste
rank in society of an exclusive nature due to birth or origin, such as prevails among the Hindus especially. Among them there are originally two great classes, the twice-born and the once-born, i. e. those who have passed through a second birth, and those who have not; of the former there are three grades, Brahmans, or the priestly caste, from the mouth of Brahma; Kshatriyas, or the soldier caste, from the hands of Brahma; and Vaisyas, or the agricultural caste, from the feet of Brahma; while the latter are of one rank and are menial to the other, called Sudras, earth-born all; notwithstanding which distinction often members of the highest class sink socially to the lowest level, and members of the lowest rise socially to the highest.
The Roycroft Dictionary
caste
A Chinese Wall that deprives you of the society of sensible people.
Matched Categories
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Anagrams for caste »
sceat
Stace
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of caste in Chaldean Numerology is: 7
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of caste in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3
Examples of caste in a Sentence
If you are reading this and you marched in the Black Lives Matter movement or you desire to live in a society free of racism, racial discrimination, sexism or misogyny, then you should be paying attention, because while caste oppression or discrimination does not affect all Americans, the way it manifests itself is no different than other types of oppression under capitalism.
We need to take the second step, which is then implement policies for people to recognize when it's happening so that there's recourse for people who might be affected by caste discrimination.
Ideologically, 'Pretty Woman' is a love song to consumerism and capitalism, 'Pretty Woman' depicts a world where everyone is either a card-carrying member of the corporate caste or an obliging subordinate ... It is obsessed with things (hotel suites, private jets, fancy clothes) and encourages the audience to share its obsession with things.
There's a real disincentive for caste-oppressed Dalit people to share their discrimination.
Caste is not a physical object like a wall of bricks or a line of barbed wire which prevents the Hindus from Co-mingling and which has, therefore, to be pulled down. Caste is a notion; it is a state of the mind.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for caste
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- طبقية, طبقةArabic
- кастаBulgarian
- kastaCzech
- kasteDanish
- KasteGerman
- kastoEsperanto
- castaSpanish
- طبقه, ذات, نسل, کاستPersian
- kastiFinnish
- kastaFaroese
- casteFrench
- ન્યાત, કોળી, વર્ણ, જાત, નાત, જાતિ, જ્ઞાતિGujarati
- קאסטהHebrew
- वर्णाश्रम, जात, कुल, न्याति, जाति, खेत, वर्णHindi
- kasztHungarian
- կաստաArmenian
- kastaIndonesian
- castaItalian
- ジャーティ, カーストJapanese
- 카스트, 카스트제도Korean
- casteLatin
- tātaiMāori
- കുലം, വര്ണ്ണം, ജാതി, ഗോത്രം, കൂട്ടംMalayalam
- जात-जमातMarathi
- kasta, warnaMalay
- कायNepali
- kasteDutch
- kasteNorwegian
- ଜାତିOriya
- ਜਾਤਿPanjabi, Punjabi
- kastaPolish
- castaPortuguese
- варна, кастаRussian
- वर्ण, जातिSanskrit
- kasta, кастаSerbo-Croatian
- kastSwedish
- சாதிTamil
- కులముTelugu
- kastTurkish
- ورناشرم, کل, کھیت, جات, ذات, نیاتUrdu
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