social status or position conferred by a system based on class
"lose caste by doing work beneath one's station"
(Hinduism) a hereditary social class among Hindus; stratified according to ritual purity
"In traditional Hindu society, your birth into a specific caste determined your occupation and the rituals you were permitted to perform."
a social class separated from others by distinctions of hereditary rank or profession or wealth
"In the traditional village, his low caste determined that he could never marry into the wealthy merchant families."
in some social insects (such as ants) a physically distinct individual or group of individuals specialized to perform certain functions in the colony
"The queen ant laid eggs that would hatch into workers and soldiers, each destined for a different caste within the bustling colony."
Any of the hereditary social classes and subclasses of South Asian societies.
"In many parts of India, a person's job opportunities are still heavily influenced by their birth caste."