caste

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese or Spanish casta (“lineage, breed, race”), of uncertain origin. The OED derives it from Portuguese casto (“chaste”), from Latin castus. Coromines (1987) argues instead for a hypothetical Gothic form *𐌺𐌰𐍃𐍄𐍃 (*kasts), cognate with English cast, from Proto-Germanic *kastuz.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: käst, IPA^(key): /kɑːst/
• (General American), IPA^(key): /kæst/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophones: cast, karst
• Rhymes: -ɑːst

Noun

caste (plural castes)

1. Any of the hereditary social classes and subclasses of South Asian societies.
   • 2017 April 6, Samira Shackle, “On the frontline with Karachi’s ambulance drivers”, in the Guardian‎:

     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.

2. A separate and fixed order or class of persons in society who chiefly associate with each other.
   • 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 5, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 236:

     'I believe, Messieurs, in loyalty - to one's friends and one's family and one's caste.'

   • Macaulay

     The tinkers then formed an hereditary caste.

3. (zoology) A class of polymorphous eusocial insects of a particular size and function within a colony.

Anagrams

• Cates, Stace, cates, scate, sceat, taces

Verb

caste

1. (archaic) singular present subjunctive of casten

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese casta, probably of Gothic and Germanic origin, or alternatively from a derivative of Latin castus.

Noun

caste f (plural castes)

1. caste (hereditary class)
2. class (social position)

References

• “caste” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Alternative forms

• casta

Etymology

Probably from Gothic *𐌺𐌰𐍃𐍄𐍃 (*kasts), from Proto-Germanic *kastuz, *kastōną (“to throw, cast”), compare English cast.^[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaste̝/

Noun

caste f (plural castes)

1. species, race or kind
   • 1853, Juan Manuel Pintos, A Gaita Gallega, Pontevedra: Impr. de D. José e D. Primitivo Vilas, page 29:

     Por aquí nacen os ricos polo outro probes labregos. Estas son as dúas castes que hai en todo o mundo inteiro.

     Here the rich people are born, there the poor peasants; these are the two races that there are in the whole world

2. quality
   • 1859, Ramón Barros Silvelo, Un dia de desfertuna, page 3:

     Dime logo que o probe do animal ou é de mala caste, ou ben non come

     He readily told me that the animal [that I was selling] either was of bad quality, or either it didn't eat

3. progeny; group of people that share a common ancestor
   • 1853, Juan Manuel Pintos, A Gaita Gallega, Pontevedra: Impr. de D. José e D. Primitivo Vilas, page 8:

     { soy llamado Pedro Luces ... } - To to to, vamos con tento que un home con ese nome pode ser caste do demo.

     {I am called Peter Lights...} —Wo wo wo! Let us be careful: a man with that name could de a Devil's child.

References

• “caste” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006-2013.
• “caste” in Santamarina, Antón (coord.): Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.
• “caste” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Adjective

caste

1. feminine plural of casto

Noun

caste f

1. plural of casta

Anagrams

• cesta

Etymology 1

From castus +‎ -ē.

Adverb

castē (comparative castius, superlative castissimē)

1. purely, spotlessly, virtuously
2. piously, religiously

Etymology 2

Inflected form of castus.

References

• caste in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• caste in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• caste in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette