Dictionary

caste en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /kɑːst/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /kast/ (Northern-England, Scotland)
• käst (Received-Pronunciation)
• /kæst/ (General-American)

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese or Spanish casta (“lineage, breed, race”), which the OED derives from Portuguese casto (“chaste”), from Latin castus (“chaste"; "chastity”), Coromines (1987) argues instead for a hypothetical Gothic form *𐌺𐌰𐍃𐍄𐍃 (*kasts, “group, collection of animals”), cognate with English cast, from Proto-Germanic *kastuz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ǵ-es-.

Meanings

1. Any of the hereditary social classes and subclasses of South Asian societies or similar found historically in other cultures.
   • Pakistan is a conservative, religious state. The Edhi Foundation is unusual in its ignoring of caste, creed, religion and sect. This strict stance has led to some criticism from religious groups. 2017 April 6, Samira Shackle, “On the frontline with Karachi’s ambulance drivers”, in the Guardian:
2. A separate and fixed order or class of persons in society who chiefly associate with each other.
   • The tinkers then formed a hereditary caste. 1911, Thomas Babington Macaulay, “Bunyan, John”, in 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica:
   • Ah! Can you give me all I've asked for — not now, nor a few months later, but when you begin to think of what you might have done if you had kept your own appointment and your caste here — when you begin to look upon me as a drag and a burden? 1889, Rudyard Kipling, “The Hill of Illusion”, in Under the Deodars, Boston: The Greenock Press, published 1899, page 86:
   • 'I believe, Messieurs, in loyalty - to one's friends and one's family and one's caste.' 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 5, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 236:
3. (uncountable) The division of society into castes; the caste system.
   • It was an evidence of the peculiar nature of caste in country towns[.] 1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 89:
4. A class of polymorphous eusocial insects of a particular size and function within a colony.
   • In beehives, most bees belong to the worker caste.

Forms

Deriveds

castelike · casteless · half-caste · casteism · castewise · casteist · outcaste · noncaste · caste-ridden · castemate · lose caste · subcaste · casted · intercaste · supercaste · quarter-caste · caste system · intracaste · anticaste · caste mark · castelect

Translations (121)

tr kast (hereditary social class) · as বৰ্ণ (hereditary social class) · gu કોળી (hereditary social class) · ur ذات (hereditary social class) · pi vaṇṇa (hereditary social class) · id kasta (hereditary social class) · hu kaszt (hereditary social class) · tg каста (hereditary social class) · gu જ્ઞાતિ (hereditary social class) · hi वर्णाश्रम (hereditary social class) · vi đẳng cấp (hereditary social class) · es casta (hereditary social class) · km វណ្ណ (hereditary social class) · ca casta (hereditary social class) · ja カースト (hereditary social class) · ml കുലം (hereditary social class) · cs kasta (hereditary social class) · fr caste (hereditary social class) · no kaste (hereditary social class) · hy կաստա (hereditary social class) · ca nissaga (hereditary social class) · ne काय (hereditary social class) · ka კასტა (hereditary social class) · hi जिनस (hereditary social class) · mi tātai (hereditary social class) · hi जात (hereditary social class) · sa जाति (hereditary social class) · hi बिरादरी (hereditary social class) · kk каста (hereditary social class) · mr जात-जमात (hereditary social class) · hi ज्ञाति (hereditary social class) · ms warna (hereditary social class) · ml ജാതി (hereditary social class) · hi नस्ल (hereditary social class) · bn জাত (hereditary social class) · ur کھیت (hereditary social class) · sk kasta (hereditary social class) · hi खेत (hereditary social class) · te కులము వర్ణము (hereditary social class) · hi वंश (hereditary social class) · ko 카스트제도 (hereditary social class) · de Kaste (hereditary social class) · ko 카스트 (hereditary social class) · fo kasta (hereditary social class) · fi kasti (hereditary social class) · sv kast (hereditary social class) · az kasta (hereditary social class) · bn বর্ণ (hereditary social class) · fa نسل (hereditary social class) · th วรรณ (hereditary social class) · ar طَبَقَة (hereditary social class) · nl kaste (hereditary social class) · hi न्याति (hereditary social class) · ban kasta (hereditary social class) · sa वर्ण (hereditary social class) · hi वर्ण (hereditary social class) · ru ва́рна (hereditary social class) · or ଜାତି (hereditary social class) · ur نیات (hereditary social class) · hi ज़ात (hereditary social class) · hi जाति (hereditary social class) · my ဇာတ် (hereditary social class) · ml ഗോത്രം (hereditary social class) · is erfðastétt (hereditary social class) · cmn 種姓 /种姓 (hereditary social class) · eo kasto (hereditary social class) · hi नसल (hereditary social class) · hi नात (hereditary social class) · uz kasta (hereditary social class) · he קאסטה (hereditary social class) · si කුල (hereditary social class) · gu નાત (hereditary social class) · fa کاست (hereditary social class) · gu વર્ણ (hereditary social class) · kn ವರ್ಣ (hereditary social class) · mn каст (hereditary social class) · ur ورناشرم (hereditary social class) · be ка́ста (hereditary social class) · gu જાત (hereditary social class) · it casta (hereditary social class) · sl kasta (hereditary social class) · uk ка́ста (hereditary social class) · ml വർണ്ണം (hereditary social class) · hi बंस (hereditary social class) · el κάστα (hereditary social class) · cmn 種姓制度 /种姓制度 (hereditary social class) · pi jāti (hereditary social class) · gl casta (hereditary social class) · lt kasta (hereditary social class) · pt casta (hereditary social class) · gu ન્યાત (hereditary social class) · ta சாதி (hereditary social class) · da kaste (hereditary social class) · hi गोत्र (hereditary social class) · gu જાતિ (hereditary social class) · kn ಜಾತಿ (hereditary social class) · fa ذات (hereditary social class) · ml കൂട്ടം (hereditary social class) · ru ка́ста (hereditary social class) · sh ка̏ста (hereditary social class) · th วรรณะ (hereditary social class) · ar طَبَقِيَّة (hereditary social class) · ja ジャーティ (hereditary social class) · et kast (hereditary social class) · ro castă (hereditary social class) · bg каста (hereditary social class) · mk каста (hereditary social class) · pa ਜਾਤਿ (hereditary social class) · fa طبقه (hereditary social class) · yi קאַסטע (hereditary social class) · sh kȁsta (hereditary social class) · bn জাতি (hereditary social class) · hi जिंस (hereditary social class) · hi कुल (hereditary social class) · ur کل (hereditary social class) · ms kasta (hereditary social class) · lo ວັນນະ (hereditary social class) · pl kasta (hereditary social class) · ban linggih (hereditary social class) · ur جات (hereditary social class) · lv kasta (hereditary social class)