brahmin
brahmin — 名詞
- brahminsingular
- brahminsplural
1. A person from a small group of old, wealthy, and well-educated families in the n
社會精英
美國東北部上流家族成員
A person from a small group of old, wealthy, and well-educated families in the northeastern United States, especially in New England, who have held social and political influence for many generations.
Valentina's family, old Boston Brahmins, had funded the city's public library a century ago.
Valentina 的家族是波士頓的舊世家，一個世紀前曾出資興建市立圖書館。
collocation: old Boston Brahmins
The board of directors included several Brahmins from established New England families.
董事會中有好幾位出身新英格蘭世家大族的社會精英。
attributive plural: Brahmins from [place]
Karim learned his colleague came from a Brahmin family with decades of local political influence.
Karim 得知他的同事來自一個在地方政治上擁有數十年影響力的菁英家族。
For generations, Brahmin families in Boston have supported the symphony and the art museum.
波士頓的菁英家族世代以來一直贊助交響樂團和美術館。
Sirin's thesis examined how Brahmin social influence in America declined during the twentieth century.
Sirin 的論文探討美國的菁英家族在二十世紀期間社會影響力如何衰退。
- aristocrat
broader term for inherited nobility; Brahmin is specific to New England
- patrician
more formal, often implies ancient Roman or European nobility
- blue blood
informal, refers to any old-money aristocratic family
- commoner
a person without noble or elite status
文法句型
Brahmin + noun (e.g. Brahmin family)
用法筆記
Often appears in the fixed phrase Boston Brahmin. Coined by 19th-century writer Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. to describe the old-money Protestant elite of New England. Can sound dated or mildly critical of social privilege.
常見錯誤
2. A person from the top-ranked group within the traditional Hindu caste hierarchy
婆羅門
印度最高種姓，原為祭司階級
A person from the top-ranked group within the traditional Hindu caste hierarchy — a group whose historic duties included performing temple rituals and studying ancient religious writings.
In traditional Indian society, Brahmins performed religious ceremonies and taught from the sacred texts.
在傳統印度社會中，婆羅門主持宗教儀式並講授聖典。
collocation: Brahmins performed / taught sacred texts
Haruto's research focused on the role of Brahmins in preserving ancient Sanskrit literature.
Haruto 的研究聚焦於婆羅門在保存古梵語文學方面所扮演的角色。
The temple priest, a Brahmin, recited the ancient verses during the wedding ceremony.
那位寺廟祭司是位婆羅門，在婚禮上誦讀古老的經文。
Kemi learned about the Brahmin tradition of passing down sacred knowledge across generations.
Kemi 學到婆羅門將神聖知識一代代傳承下來的傳統。
Many Brahmins today work in education, law, or engineering rather than as priests.
如今許多婆羅門從事教育、法律和工程等領域的工作，而非擔任祭司。
- Brahman
alternate spelling; more common in academic and religious writing
文法句型
the + Brahmin + noun (e.g. the Brahmin caste)
用法筆記
Also spelled Brahman (the more common scholarly form). In modern India, the term is socially and politically sensitive because the caste system is legally abolished but still affects daily life. Distinguish from Brahma, the Hindu creator god.