Brahmana

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A member of the highest Hindu caste traditionally assigned to religious duties and rituals
2. A person belonging to the Brahmin class in Hindu society, responsible for performing sacred ceremonies
3. An individual in Hinduism who is part of the priestly caste entrusted with spiritual and ritualistic functions

Etymology: The Sanskrit "brā́hmaṇa" is the source of the English word, and its roots run deep in Indian religious life. In Sanskrit it names a member of the priestly class, the figure who performed the Vedic rituals, and the word carries that sense of ritual and sacred knowledge into English. The English form was taken over directly from Sanskrit, so it keeps the Indian pronunciation and spelling rather than passing through a European language first. Within the social system, the term refers to the highest of the traditional varna, or orders, whose members were thought to hold the duty of learning and teaching the sacred texts. In English usage it is most often applied to the priestly caste in Hindu society, so the word has moved from a single role in ritual to a whole hereditary group defined by birth.

Synonyms: priest, sage, holy man, scholar, teacher

Antonyms: layman, unordained, non-priest, secular, non-religious