Brahmanical

/brɑːˈmænɪkəl/ adjective

Definition

Relating to or characteristic of Brahmins or their religious, cultural, and social practices and beliefs.

Etymology

From 'brahman' plus the adjectival suffix '-ical' (a more elaborate form than '-ic'). This variant became popular in academic and colonial English texts to describe Brahmin cultural systems.

Kelly Says

Colonial British scholars used 'brahmanical' extensively to describe what they saw as 'brahmanical oppression'—but the word itself was a Western creation that imposed categories the Sanskrit language didn't require!

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