CASTE Definition & Meaning

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caste

[kast, kahst]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

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.
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.
any class or group of society sharing common cultural features.
low caste; high caste.
social position conferred upon one by a caste system.
to lose caste.
Entomology.��one of the distinct forms among polymorphous social insects, performing a specialized function in the colony, as a queen, worker or soldier.

adjective

of, relating to, or characterized by caste.
a caste society; a caste system; a caste structure.

caste

/ ��ɑː�� /

noun

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 called: caste system.��the system or basis of such classes
3. the social position or rank conferred by this system
any social class or system based on such distinctions as heredity, rank, wealth, profession, etc
the position conferred by such a system
entomol any of various types of specialized individual, such as the worker, in social insects (hive bees, ants, etc)

caste

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

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.

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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.

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Other 51�Թ� Forms

casteism noun
casteless adjective
anticaste adjective
intercaste adjective
subcaste noun

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51�Թ� 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 ‼��ܰ��, chaste ”

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of caste¹

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

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The couple's families demanded that the case be handed over to the federal police for a proper investigation and met influential caste leaders and federal ministers in their home state to lobby for this.

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The girl is from the Dalit community, which is at the bottom of the Hindu caste hierarchy.

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The Maoist movement, rooted in past struggles against caste oppression, still carries social legitimacy in parts of these states.

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He said he never faced discrimination but was acutely aware of his position in the caste hierarchy and still lives with the weight of where he was born.

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But instead of being remembered as a pioneer, her story was buried - erased by caste discrimination and social backlash.

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Related 51�Թ�s

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cast down Castel Gandolfo

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