English

half-caste

From half- + caste.

A compound of half- + caste

Proto-Germanic *halbaz ‘half’

Proto-Germanic *halba-

English half-

Proto-Italic *kastos

Latin castus ‘chaste"’

Old Galician-Portuguese casto

Portuguese casto ‘chaste’

Spanish casta ‘lineage, breed, race’

English caste

Today it means

adj Of mixed racial descent.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / half-caste