A member of the lowest caste in traditional Hindu society, considered ritually impure and subject to social discrimination. Now considered an offensive term, replaced by 'Dalit' or 'Scheduled Caste'.
This is a direct English translation of various Indian terms describing castes considered ritually impure, such as Hindi अछूत (achūt) meaning 'untouched' or 'impure'. The English term was used by British colonial administrators and missionaries from the 19th century to describe the social reality they observed. The word gained international prominence through Mahatma Gandhi's writings, though he preferred the term 'Harijan' (children of God), while the community itself now uses 'Dalit' (oppressed).
This English word became more famous than its Hindi original through Gandhi's global campaign against caste discrimination! The term's journey from colonial administrative language to international human rights vocabulary shows how English can amplify social justice movements worldwide.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.