caste

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   One of the hereditary social groups in traditional Hindu society, ranked by birth and shaping a person's work and relationships.

   Grammar: Takes a plural: different castes; also used as a collective, as in the caste system.

   Patterns

   • a member of a caste
   • the caste system

   Traditionally, a child inherited the caste of their parents.

   The government banned discrimination on the basis of caste.

   Marriage within the same caste was once expected in many villages.

2. 2nouncountablefigurative

   Any rigid social class in which position depends on birth and is very hard to change.

   Grammar: Used figuratively for non-Indian settings: a warrior caste.

   Patterns

   • a ruling caste
   • a caste of something

   Medieval Japan had a warrior caste of samurai.

   Critics claimed that a priestly caste controlled all wealth.

   The firm has an unspoken caste system, with executives eating in a separate hall.

3. 3nouncountablebiology

   In insect colonies such as ants or bees, a group of individuals of the same form that perform a particular job.

   Grammar: Used in biology to describe workers, soldiers, or queens.

   Patterns

   • worker caste
   • soldier caste

   The worker caste of ants gathers food for the colony.

   Termites have a soldier caste with large jaws.

   Only the queen caste can lay eggs.

Word forms

Common combinations

caste system

The caste system has been outlawed but still affects daily life.

lower caste

Lower caste families often faced exclusion from temples.

upper caste

Upper caste landowners once dominated the region.

caste discrimination

Caste discrimination is illegal in India.

ruling caste

A small ruling caste held all the power.

Synonyms and how they differ

class

Class is broader and usually based on wealth or education, and people can move between classes more easily than between castes.

rank

Rank suggests a position in a ladder and does not imply a group fixed by birth.

order

Order can name a historical social division, such as the estates of medieval Europe, but is less specific.

stratum

Stratum is a technical term for a layer of society used mostly by sociologists.

Opposites

Word family

casteism noun

prejudice based on caste

casteless adjective

without caste distinctions

outcaste noun

a person outside the caste system

Commonly confused: caste or cast?

Practice

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