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brahmin

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Brah⋅min

[brah-min] noun, plural -min, -mins, adjective
–noun
1. Hinduism. Brahman (def. 1).
2. (esp. in New England) a person usually from an old, respected family who, because of wealth and social position, wields considerable social, economic, and political power.
3. a person who is intellectually or socially aloof.
–adjective
4. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a Brahmin: the Brahmin attitudes of a true aristocrat.

Origin:
1475–85; var. of Brahman


Brah⋅min⋅ic [brah-min-ik] , Brah⋅min⋅i⋅cal, adjective

Brah⋅man

[brah-muhn]
–noun, plural -mans. Hinduism.
1. Also, Brahmin. a member of the highest, or priestly, class among the Hindus. Compare Kshatriya, Shudra, Vaisya.
2. Also, Brahma. the impersonal supreme being, the primal source and ultimate goal of all beings, with which Atman, when enlightened, knows itself to be identical.

Origin:
1475–85; < Skt brāhmaṇa (def. 1), brahman (def. 2)


Brah⋅man⋅ic [brah-man-ik] , Brah⋅man⋅i⋅cal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To brahmin
Brah·man   (brä'mən)   
n.  
  1. also Brah·ma (-mə) Hinduism

    1. A religious formula or prayer and the holy or sacred power in it and in the officiating priest.

    2. The holy or sacred power that is the source and sustainer of the universe.

    3. The single absolute being pervading the universe and found within the individual; atman.

  2. also Brahmin (-mĭn) A member of the highest of the four major castes of traditional Indian society, responsible for officiating at religious rites and studying and teaching the Vedas.

  3. also Brah·ma (-mə) or Brah·min (-mĭn) One of a breed of domestic cattle developed in the southern United States from stock originating in India and having a hump between the shoulders and a pendulous dewlap. Well adapted to hot climates, it is used chiefly for crossbreeding.

adj.  also Brahmin (-mĭn) Of or relating to the caste of Brahmans.

[Sanskrit brahma, brahman-. Senses 2 and 3, from Sanskrit brāhmaṇa-, Brahmanic, from brahmā, brahmaṇ-, Brahman; see Brahma1.]
Brah·man'ic (-mān'ĭk), Brah·man'i·cal adj.
Brah·min   (brä'mĭn)   
n.  
  1. Variant of Brahman.

  2. A member of a cultural and social elite, especially of that formed by descendants of old New England families: a Boston Brahmin.

  3. Variant of Brahman.

adj.  Variant of Brahman.

[Probably alteration of Sanskrit brāhmaṇaḥ, from brāhmaṇa-, brahminic; see Brahman.]
Brah·min'ic (-mĭn'ĭk), Brah·min'i·cal adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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