Where does “quarter-caste” come from?

quarter-caste (English) comes from English quarter, from Middle English quarter, from Anglo-Norman quarter, from Latin quartarius, from Latin quārtus, from Proto-Indo-European kʷeturtos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷetwóres, from Proto-Indo-European kʷe- — and.

quarter-caste (English): Having one "half-caste" parent; especially, having three Caucasian and one non-Caucasian grandparents

Definitions

  1. Having one "half-caste" parent; especially, having three Caucasian and one non-Caucasian grandparents

Ancestry of “quarter-caste”, step by step

quarter-caste traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English quarter

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishquarter"A fourth part of something."; "Place or...
2Middle EnglishquarterA quarter fourth part of something
3Anglo-Normanquarter
4Latinquartariusquartarius, a Roman unit of liquid measure equivalent to about 0.14 L
5Latinquārtusfourth
6Proto-Indo-Europeankʷeturtos
7Proto-Indo-Europeankʷetwóresfour
8Proto-Indo-Europeankʷe-and

via English caste

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcasteAny of the hereditary social classes and...
2Spanishcastalineage; breed; caste
3Latincastusmorally pure, guiltless; pure, chaste, free from...
4Latincareōto lack, be without. (usually with ablative), to be deprived of
5Proto-Italickazēōto lack
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱes-éh₁-ye-ti
7Proto-Indo-Europeanḱes-to cut off, separate; to cut up, to slaughter; to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷe-
quarter-caste — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer