CASTE


Meaning of CASTE in English

noun Etymology: Portuguese casta, literally, race, lineage, from feminine of casto pure, chaste, from Latin castus Date: 1613 one of the hereditary social classes in Hinduism that restrict the occupation of their members and their association with the members of other ~s, 2. a division of society based on differences of wealth, inherited rank or privilege, profession, occupation, or race, the position conferred by ~ standing ; prestige , a system of rigid social stratification characterized by hereditary status, endogamy, and social barriers sanctioned by custom, law, or religion, a specialized form (as the worker of an ant or bee) of a polymorphic social insect that carries out a particular function in the colony, ~ism noun

Merriam Webster. Explanatory English dictionary Merriam Webster.      Толковый словарь английского языка Мерриам-Уэбстер.