[vahys-yuh, vahysh-] 
| a member of the Hindu mercantile and professional class, above the Shudras and below the Kshatriyas. Compare Brahman (def. 1). |
| Vais·ya (vī'shə, vīsh'yə) n. A member of the second-lowest of the four major castes of traditional Indian society, comprising farmers, herders, merchants, and businessmen. adj. Of or relating to the class of Vaisyas. [Sanskrit vaiśyaḥ, settler, homesteader, from viśaḥ, house; see weik-1 in Indo-European roots.] |