caste

caste
\ \ [16] Caste has no etymological connection with cast. It is borrowed from Spanish and Portuguese castarace, breed’, a nominal use of the adjective castapure’, from Latin castus (source of English chaste). The notion underlying the word thus appears to be ‘racial purity’. Use of casta by the Portuguese in India with reference to the Hindu social groupings led to its being adopted in this sense by English in the 17th century.
\ \ Cf.CHASTE, INCEST

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • caste — caste …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • caste — [ kast ] n. f. • 1659; port. casta (XVIe) « caste hindoue »; fém. de casto « pur » 1 ♦ Classe sociale fermée, observée d abord en Inde. La caste des prêtres (⇒ brahmane) , celles des guerriers, des bourgeois, des artisans. Les parias étaient hors …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Caste — Caste, n. [Pg. casta race, lineage, fr. L. castus pure, chaste: cf. F. caste, of same origin.] 1. One of the hereditary classes into which the Hindu are divided according to the laws of Brahmanism. [1913 Webster] Note: The members of the same… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • caste — caste; caste·less; in·ter·caste; non·caste; sub·caste; …   English syllables

  • caste — CASTE. s. f. On appelle ainsi Les Tribus dans lesquelles sont divisés les Idolâtres des Indes Orientales. La Caste des Bramines. La Caste des Banians …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • caste — (n.) 1550s, a race of men, from L. castus chaste, from castus pure, cut off, separated, pp. of carere to be cut off from (and related to castration), from PIE *kas to , from root *kes to cut. Application to Hindu social groups picked up by… …   Etymology dictionary

  • caste — [kast, käst] n. [Fr < Port casta, breed, race, caste < L castus, pure, chaste, orig., cut off, separated, pp. of carere, to be cut off from < IE base * k̑es , to cut > MIr cess, spear] 1. any of the distinct, hereditary Hindu social… …   English World dictionary

  • caşte — CÁŞTE s. v. casă. Trimis de siveco, 13.09.2007. Sursa: Sinonime  cáşte s.f. – În tipografie, lumina paginii. germ. Kasten, prin intermediul pol. kaszta, sau al mag. kásta (Cihac, II, 45). Trimis de blaurb, 04.01.2007. Sursa: DER …   Dicționar Român

  • caste — [ka:st US kæst] n [U and C] [Date: 1500 1600; : Portuguese; Origin: casta race , from casto pure , from Latin castus; CHASTE] 1.) one of the fixed social classes, which cannot be changed, into which people are born in India ▪ the caste system 2.) …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Caste — Porté en Provence (84, 13), le nom correspond à l adjectif chaste , sans doute employé comme nom de personne (voir Casto). On ne le confondra pas avec Casté (Sud Ouest), qui est pour sa part une probable variante de Castet (voir ce nom) …   Noms de famille

  • caste — caste. См. каста. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

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