caste
[ kast, kahst ]
/ kæst, kɑst /
noun
Sociology.
- 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.
- 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.
Compare class(def 13).
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.
Origin of caste
1545–55; < Portuguese
casta race, breed, noun use of
casta, feminine of
casto < Latin
castus pure,
chaste
OTHER WORDS FROM caste
Words nearby caste
Example sentences from the Web for caste
British Dictionary definitions for caste
caste
/ (kɑːst) /
noun
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)
Word Origin for caste
C16: from Portuguese
casta race, breed, ancestry, from
casto pure, chaste, from Latin
castus
Scientific definitions for caste
caste
[ kăst ]
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.
Cultural definitions for caste
caste
[ (kast) ]
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 for caste
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
classes.
notes for caste
During the height of
segregation in the United States, African-Americans were sometimes loosely referred to as a caste.