The word chaste has several meanings. First, it indicates the breed or lineage of an animal. It also expresses a certain social class. It can be used as a synonym for social group in a derogatory sense. Finally, caste is an adjective that corresponds to the concept of chastity.
In relation to animals
If we think of an animal, we must take into account its classification as a living being. Each animal belongs to a species, a subspecies and a certain race. To refer to the lineage of a particular animal, the word caste is used. The physical characteristics of an animal's ancestors will condition the qualities of its descendants.
With regard to the crosses that are made to obtain quality breeds of some domestic animals, the term encaste is used, something very common in breeding techniques in livestock.
Castes in India
The social organization in India is based on a caste system. This system is based on a classification of individuals in closed social groups. This form of social organization is inspired by Hinduism, a religious doctrine in which each caste or group is considered to have a specific role in the whole of society.
The main castes are the following: the priests or Brahmans, the leaders or chatria, the merchants or Vaishias and, finally, the most humble people or Shudras. On the fringes of the caste system there is another social class, the untouchables or outcasts, known as Dalits. In the traditional culture of India people who belong to the lower castes are considered impure.
The qualifier caste as a derogatory term
With some frequency the word caste is used in a derogatory sense to refer to an endogamous and closed group that normally enjoys certain privileges. The political class is sometimes classified as a caste.
Chaste woman
A person is said to be chaste when he is considered pure. This qualifier has been used in relation to women, since a chaste woman is one who is a virgin, that is, who practices chastity, a characteristic that has been historically highly valued but that no longer has the same meaning.
Photos: iStock - RadimSpitzer / Bartosz Hadyniak
