varna

/ˈvɑrnə/

Other forms: varnas

In Hinduism, society is traditionally divided into four classes or castes, called varnas.

The varnas were first mentioned in the oldest known Sanskrit text, the Rig Veda. In Sanskrit, varna, "color or shape," derives from the root vr, which means "to cover, count, or classify." This ancient way of classifying people led to India's caste system. The four varnas are Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (nobles), Vaishya (commoners or workers), and Shudras (servants).

Definitions of varna

1. noun

   (Hinduism) the name for the original social division of Vedic people into four groups (which are subdivided into thousands of jatis)
   types:

   brahman, brahmin

   the highest of the four varnas: the priestly or sacerdotal category

   rajanya

   the second highest of the four varnas: the noble or warrior category

   vaisya

   the third of the four varnas: the commoners or yeoman farmers or mercantile and professional category

   shudra, sudra

   the lowest of the four varnas: the servants and workers of low status

   type of:

   group, grouping

   any number of entities (members) considered as a unit