ˈkäyəst noun
or ka·yas·tha -stə
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Sanskrit kāyastha, probably from kāya body, group + -stha standing, being in; akin to Sanskrit cinoti he gathers, heaps up and to Sanskrit tiṣṭhati he stands — more at poet , stand
: a member of a high Hindu caste especially numerous in Bengal and Uttar Pradesh whose caste occupation is that of clerks, writers, and accountants