half-caste

English

Pronunciation

Audio (US) (file)

Adjective

half-caste (not comparable)

(derogatory) Of mixed racial descent.

Usage notes

In 2006 British anthropological surveys by Peter J. Aspinall et al, out of 75 general population respondents who identified as “mixed race”, and one who did not, seven found the term “half-caste” offensive; and out of 311 student respondents who identified as “mixed race”, and 15 who did not, 60 found it offensive.[1]

Noun

half-caste (plural half-castes)

(derogatory) A person of mixed racial descent.

References

Aspinall, Peter J. (April 2009), “'Mixed Race', 'Mixed Origins' or What? Generic Terminology for the Multiple Racial/Ethnic Group Population”, in Anthropology Today‎, volume 25, issue 2, Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, DOI:10.1111/j.1467-8322.2009.00653.x, ISSN 0268-540X, JSTOR 20528211, OCLC 787833449, archived from the original on 2010-07-15, pages 3–8

[1] Aspinall, Peter J. (April 2009), “'Mixed Race', 'Mixed Origins' or What? Generic Terminology for the Multiple Racial/Ethnic Group Population”, in Anthropology Today‎, volume 25, issue 2, Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, DOI:10.1111/j.1467-8322.2009.00653.x, ISSN 0268-540X, JSTOR 20528211, OCLC 787833449, archived from the original on 2010-07-15, pages 3–8