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2 dictionary results for: castes
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
caste       (kāst)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. Any of the hereditary, endogamous social classes or subclasses of traditional Hindu society, stratified according to Hindu ritual purity, especially the Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra castes.
  2. A social class separated from others by distinctions of hereditary rank, profession, or wealth.
    1. A social system or the principle of grading society based on castes.
    2. The social position or status conferred by a system based on castes: lose caste by doing work beneath one's station.
  4. A specialized level in a colony of social insects, such as ants, in which the members, such as workers or soldiers, carry out a specific function.


[Spanish casta, race, and Portuguese casta, race, caste, both from feminine of casto, pure, from Latin castus; see kes- in Indo-European roots.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
caste       (kāst)  Pronunciation Key 


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A specialized group carrying out a specific function within a colony of social insects. For example, in an ant colony, members of the caste of workers forage for food outside the colony or tend eggs and larvae, while the members of the caste of soldiers, often larger with stronger jaws, are responsible for defense of the colony.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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