caste

noun

ˈkast 

 also  ˈkäst

1

: one of the hereditary social classes in Hinduism that restrict the occupation of their members and their association with the members of other castes

2

a

: a division of society based on differences of wealth, inherited rank or privilege, profession, occupation, or race

b

: the position conferred by caste standing : prestige

art and religion have lost caste

—F. L. Baumer

3

: a system of rigid social stratification characterized by hereditary status, endogamy, and social barriers sanctioned by custom, law, or religion

4

: a specialized form (such as the worker of an ant or bee) of a polymorphic social insect that carries out a particular function in the colony

soldier castes for fighting enemy ants

casteism

ˈka-ˌsti-zəm 

noun

Synonyms

• class
• estate
• folk
• gentry
• order
• stratum

Examples of caste in a Sentence

He was from a higher caste.

a member of the upper caste

Recent Examples on the Web

Simone, with her tin ear for caste, doesn’t understand Gigi’s station. —Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024

Though officially abolished in 1950, the 2,000-year-old caste system that categorizes Hindus in a social hierarchy at birth still exists in many aspects of life. —Esha Mitra, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024

In Rwanda, Sister Deborah is contending with a caste system that installed white men at the top and placed Black women at the bottom. —Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 2024

Hell-bent on seeking justice for his peers, Darrow will sacrifice everything to infiltrate the Gold caste, competing for his life to bring down his enemies. —Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Portuguese casta "breed, lineage, family, hereditary social class in India," of uncertain origin

Note: Portuguese casta has exact counterparts in Spanish and Catalan casta, none of which are attested before the fifteenth century. The word has traditionally been taken as descending from a feminine noun derivative of Latin castus "free from (the thing named), untainted by vice, pure" (see chaste), though this etymology has been resisted by Joan Coromines, who points out that the earliest uses do not imply purity (see Diccionario crítico etymológico castellano e hispánico, s.v.). The phrase hacer casta (hacer "to do, make") means "to breed (animals)"—likewise, the phrase para casta "for breeding." The word would seem to refer to both the act of breeding and the succession of things bred. Coromines is surely correct in noting that Latin castus has influenced the later semantic development of casta. However, his hypothesis that an unattested Gothic word cognate with Old Icelandic kǫs, kǫstr "heap, pile" is the source of Iberian Romance casta is not convincing, The senses of the English noun cast entry 2 that he sees as most relevant, such as "a set of characters or persons" or "characteristic quality," are all late developments from the verb meaning "to throw" and can scarcely be traced back to proto-Germanic.

First Known Use

circa 1624, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing caste

• half-caste
• inter-caste
• sub-caste

Kids Definition

caste

noun

ˈkast 

1

: one of the classes into which the Hindu people of India were formerly divided

2

a

: a division of society based upon differences of wealth, rank, or occupation

b

: social rank : prestige

3

: a specialized form of a social insect that carries out a particular purpose in the colony

the worker caste in a colony of honeybees