- [countable]
any of the four main divisions of Hindu society, originally those made according to functions in society （印度教的四大）种姓 the caste system 种姓制度 high-caste Brahmins 高级种姓婆罗门
Extra ExamplesHe belongs to one of the highest castes. 他属于最高社会阶层之一。 low-caste families 下层社会家庭 the Hindu caste system 印度种姓制度
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- high
- low
- belong to
- system
- a member of a caste
- of high caste
- of low caste
- …
- [countable]
a social class, especially one whose members do not allow others to join it （尤指禁止其他等级成员进入的）社会阶层，社会等级 the ruling caste 统治阶层
- [uncountable]
the system of dividing society into classes based on differences in family origin, rank or wealth 社会等级制度 see also half-caste
Word Originmid 16th cent. (in the general sense ‘race, breed’): from Spanish and Portuguese casta ‘lineage, race, breed’, feminine of casto ‘pure, unmixed’, from Latin castus ‘chaste’.