From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcastecaste /kɑːst $ kæst/ noun [countable, uncountable] 1 SSone of the fixed social classes, which cannot be changed, into which people are born in India the caste system2 CLASS IN SOCIETYa group of people who have the same position in society
Examples from the Corpus
caste• This Army caste is oppressing us greatly.• Women from the Chosa caste would only accept a cook from their caste and above.• In the south of India there are up to 20 different castes.• They show remarkable adaptations, from the migrations of birds to the slave-making castes of ants.• If they married outside their own caste, they could be put to death.• The money was not distributed fairly, but too often financed artificial luxury on the part of a particular caste.• Buddha was a social reformer who condemned India's caste system.• We are a very strong caste, a gypsy caste.• Though caste often performed this stabilizing economic function, its origin was political and its sanction religious.Origin caste (1500-1600) Portuguese casta “race”, from casto “pure”, from Latin castus; → CHASTE 