caste
a class of society; a social status or system:
a caste societyNot to be confused with:cast – a group of actors:
the cast for the play was chosen; mold or pattern; a tinge; to throw forcefully:
cast the first stone Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
caste
(kăst)n.1. Any of the hereditary, endogamous social classes or subclasses of traditional Hindu society, stratified according to Hindu ritual purity, especially the Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra castes.
2. A social class separated from others by distinctions of hereditary rank, profession, or wealth.
3. a. A social system or the principle of grading society based on castes.
b. The social position or status conferred by a system based on castes: lose caste by doing work beneath one's station.
4. 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.
[Spanish
casta,
race, and Portuguese
casta,
race, caste, both from feminine of
casto,
pure, from Latin
castus; see
kes- in
Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
caste
(kɑːst) n1. (Hinduism)
a. 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 b. Also called: caste system the system or basis of such classes
c. the social position or rank conferred by this system
2. (Sociology) any social class or system based on such distinctions as heredity, rank, wealth, profession, etc
3. (Sociology) the position conferred by such a system
4. (Zoology) entomol any of various types of specialized individual, such as the worker, in social insects (hive bees, ants, etc)
[C16: from Portuguese casta race, breed, ancestry, from casto pure, chaste, from Latin castus]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
caste
(kæst, kɑst)
n. 1. any of the hereditary social divisions of traditional Hindu society, as the Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Shudra.
2. an endogamous social group limited to persons of the same hereditary rank, occupation, economic position, etc., and having distinctive mores.
3. any rigid system of social distinctions.
4. social position conferred upon one by a caste system: to lose caste.
5. one of the distinct forms among polymorphous social insects, performing a specialized function in the colony, as a queen, worker, or soldier.
[1545–55; < Portuguese
casta race, breed < Latin
castus pure,
chaste]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
caste
1. A system of class differentiation based on Hindu scriptures.
2. A rigid class system based on common acceptance of a religious principle. For example, the ancient Indian caste system. Castes were defined in the Hindu religion. Membership of caste depends on birth, and movement between castes is only possible in some instances through marriage.
3. Any of several social classes into which a society may be divided, usually according to wealth, profession, or hereditary rank.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited