Brahminical

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /bɹəˈmɪnəkəl/

Definitions

1. Pertaining to the highest caste in Hindu society, it signifies practices, values, and intellectualism linked to priestly authority or social prestige
2. Associated with the priestly class of Hinduism, it reflects their beliefs, societal influence, and traditions of intellectual elitism
3. Connected to the social group considered the highest caste in Hindu culture and their associated rituals and status

Etymology: Brahminical is brahmin with the adjective-forming suffix "-ical" added, so the word simply means "of or relating to a brahmin." Brahmin itself comes from the Sanskrit "brāhmaṇa," the name of the priestly class at the top of the traditional Hindu social order, and English borrowed the term from that source. The suffix "-ical" was attached in English, producing an adjective that can describe the rituals, attitudes, or authority associated with that priestly caste. Because brahmin later came to be used figuratively for any member of a privileged intellectual or cultural elite, brahminical has also taken on that wider sense, describing a narrow, exclusive establishment that guards its own learning and status. Its use in English therefore moved from a precise term for a religious class to a general label for entrenched social gatekeeping.

Synonyms: aristocratic, elite, cultured, refined, noble

Antonyms: common, vulgar