Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
Brahmin [brah-min] ExamplesWord Origin noun, plural Brah·min, Brah·mins.
- Hinduism. Brahman1(def 1).
- (especially in New England) a person usually from an old, respected family who, because of wealth and social position, wields considerable social, economic, and political power.
- a person who is intellectually or socially aloof.
adjective
- of, relating to, or characteristic of a Brahmin: the Brahmin attitudes of a true aristocrat.
Origin of Brahmin First recorded in 1475–85; variant of Brahman1 Related formsBrah·min·ic [brah-min-ik] /brɑˈmɪn ɪk/, Brah·min·i·cal, adjectivenon-Brah·min·ic, adjectivenon-Brah·min·i·cal, adjectiveun-Brah·min·i·cal, adjectiveCan be confusedBrahman Brahmin Related Words for brahmin elegant, genteel, courteous, polite, debutante, refined, polished, cultured, patrician, noble, deb, Brahmin, aristocratic, well-bred, highborn, highbred, well-born, gentleperson Examples from the Web for brahmin Contemporary Examples of brahmin
I didn’t realize that in part they were an engine for perpetuating the Brahmin class of New England.
My Conversation with John Updike
Barbara Probst Solomon
January 29, 2009
Historical Examples of brahmin
I can only say that he had the sublime indifference of a Brahmin from the Ganges.
Melville Davisson Post
We shall be in the Brahmin caste of the hell of the Baptists.
Charles Fort
“I should say the dress of a Brahmin might be useful,” Soyera suggested.
G. A. Henty
“It is not a dog,” says the Brahmin, “but a goat;” and trudged on.
Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama
E. Cobham Brewer
He ordered the hero to kill his own son and serve his corpse for the Brahmin to eat.
William Graham Sumner
British Dictionary definitions for brahmin Brahmin noun plural -min or -mins
- the older spelling of Brahman (def. 1)
- (in the US) a highly intelligent or socially exclusive person, esp a member of one of the older New England families
- an intellectual or social snob
Derived FormsBrahminic or Brahminical, adjective Word Origin and History for brahmin n.
“member of Boston’s upper class,” 1823, figurative use of Brahman “member of the highest priestly Hindu caste,” late 15c., from Sanskrit brahmana-s, from brahman- “prayer,” also “the universal soul, the Absolute,” of uncertain origin. Related to Brahma.