cast-

1. Any of the hereditary, endogamous social classes or subclasses of traditional Hindu society of India, stratified according to Hindu ritual purity, especially the Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra castes.
2. A social class separated from others by distinctions of hereditary rank, profession, or wealth.
3. A social system or the principle of grading society based on castes.
4. The social position or status conferred by a system based on castes.
5. A specialized level in a colony of social insects; such as, ants, in which the members, including workers or soldiers, carry out a specific function.
6. Etymology: "a race of men", from Latin casto, "chaste" from castus, "pure, cut off, separated"; past participle of carere, "to be cut off from".

The application to Hindu social groups picked up in India in the 17th century from Portuguese casta, "breed, race, caste"; from an earlier casta raca "unmixed race", from the same Latin word.

1. To inflict severe punishment or to strongly rebuke someone in order to correct his or her behavior: The president of the company was castigated in the local newspaper and television for making millions of dollars while his business went bankrupt.
2. Etymology: from Latin castigatus past participle of castigare, "to purify, to chastise"; from castus, "pure" + agere, "to do". Used in the sense of "to make people pure by correcting or reproving them." © ALL rights are reserved.

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1. A reprimand, a reproach, or a scolding for doing something unacceptable: The principal of the school had several castigations which he expressed to the students for their unruly behavior during the basketball game.
2. Etymology: from the Latin castigatio, or chastisement, via the French châtiment, is the infliction of severe moral or corporal punishment. © ALL rights are reserved.

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1. An obsolete term for an instrument of chastisement.
2. A kind of chair formerly used for punishing scolds (those who are constantly finding fault), and also dishonest tradesmen, by fastening them in it, usually in front of their doors, to be pelted and hooted at by the mob, but sometimes to be taken to the water and ducked.

Pertaining to a castigator or to castigation; chastising, corrective, punitive.

1. Morally pure in thought and/or conduct; decent and modest.
2. Not having experienced sexual intercourse; virginal.
3. Abstaining from unlawful sexual intercourse or abstaining from all sexual intercourse; a celibate.
4. Pure or simple, and unadorned in design or style; austere.

1. A reference to being morally pure in thought or conduct; decent and modest.
2. Not ever having experienced sexual intercourse; virginal.
3. Abstaining from unlawful sexual intercourse or not participating in any form of sexual intercourse; being celibate.
4. A description of something which is pure or simple in design or style; austere.

1. To make someone less self-satisfied or self-assertive and more subdued in behavior or thoughts: Maybe the experience Doug had will have chastened him to think about what he wants to say before he expresses himself.
2. To subject someone to discipline: Tom was found writing graffiti on the walls of the school building and so he was chastened, or punished very severely, when the principal of the school told his parents about the situation.
3. To moderate the intensity of something: The little group of friends was chastened because of their loud and raucous behavior at the party in the garden and so they got quieter when they decided that it wasn’t worth being so boisterous and noisy and having the neighbors complaining. © ALL rights are reserved.

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Characteristic of causing someone to feel very embarrassed or upset about something that has happened: When Jan had her proposal criticized at the meeting, it was a chastening or humiliating experience for her.

1. To punish or to scold someone: Nina chastised her two children for playing ball in the living room, especially since they broke a mirror on the wall!
2. To criticize severely or to rebuke: Mrs. Smith chastised the children in her classroom who were running around while others were still taking their tests.
3. To inflict punishment on; as by whipping, or to censure severely: Sometimes in the past, the slaves on some plantations were chastised or beaten for not doing enough work in the fields.
4. To castigate or to make a severe public censure; as in a newspaper editorial or a TV denunciation, etc.: Some people have been chastising or criticizing the government for allowing so many refugees into the country all at once. © ALL rights are reserved.

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1. A verbal punishment or scolding.
2. A rebuke or criticism for making a mistake.
3. A correction, pain, or suffering inflicted for punishment and correction.

The state or quality of being chaste; that is, being a virgin, having a virtuous character, or being a celibate.