Caucasian

adjective

Cau·​ca·​sian kȯ-ˈkā-zhən 

kä-,

 also  -ˈka-zhən

1

: of or relating to the Caucasus or its inhabitants

were forced to leave their Caucasian homeland

2

: of or relating to a group of people having European ancestry, classified according to physical traits (such as light skin pigmentation), and formerly considered to constitute a race (see race entry 1 sense 1a) of humans

Note: People of North African and southwest Asian ancestry were historically also sometimes considered to be of the Caucasian race.

Caucasian noun

Caucasoid

ˈkȯ-kə-ˌsȯid 

-ˌzȯid

adjective or noun

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Caucasian vs. White

Caucasian has two fairly distinct meanings, and the difference between them occasionally leads people to aver that one of them is incorrect. The earliest sense of the word is a literal one: “of or relating to the Caucasus (a region in southeastern Europe between the Black and Caspian seas) or its inhabitants.” The second refers to the racial group commonly referred to as white.

The objection to using Caucasian to refer to a white person is that many whites do not actually come from the Caucasus region. Be this as it may, there is no rule in language stipulating that the formation of a word must be based on logic; were this the case we would not call members of this racial group either Caucasian or white, since there are very few whose skin color is in fact that exact shade.

Examples of Caucasian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the new membership is more diverse, with 51% men and 39% women; and 36% white or Caucasian, 26% Black or African-American, 14% Hispanic or Latin and 11% Asian or Pacific Islander. —Jem Aswad, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024

The study also found certain preexisting conditions, such as older age and Caucasian race seemed to increase the risk for the outcome even more. —Tribune Content Agency, The Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2024

This was complicated by a general western unwillingness to reciprocate, resulting in the small Caucasian country being caught with no major allies when Azerbaijan made its move in 2020. —Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Sep. 2024

Just like those splashy HBO hits, The Perfect Couple centers around a dead body that shatters the lives of very wealthy Caucasian people. —Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 13 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

Caucasian

adjective

Cau·​ca·​sian kȯ-ˈkā-zhən 

-ˈkazh-ən

1

: of or relating to the Caucasus or people living there

2

: of or relating to a group of people having European ancestry, classified according to physical traits (as light skin pigmentation), and formerly considered to constitute a race of humans

Caucasian noun

Medical Definition

Caucasian

adjective

Cau·​ca·​sian ˈkȯ-ˈkā-zhən, -ˈkazh-ən 

: of or relating to a group of people having European ancestry, classified according to physical traits (as light skin pigmentation), and formerly considered to constitute a race of humans

Caucasian noun