Wondering what the word caucasian means? This guide is here to help. Read on to learn more about the word caucasian, its meaning, and more.
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Kevin
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June 23, 2022
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Common Questions
Wondering what the word caucasian means? This guide is here to help. Read on to learn more about the word caucasian, its meaning, and more.
If you’re one of the 204.3 million white people in America, there’s a good chance that you’ve had to identify as “caucasian” before.
Whether on your medical records or college application, race is a standard demographic question that’s typically asked to ensure diversity — but what exactly does the word caucasian mean? And where did it originate?
You have questions, and we have answers. Read on to discover our complete guide on caucasian to get to the bottom of its meaning, origin, and more. Are you ready?
Let’s dive in!
There are varying definitions of the word caucasian. To some people, caucasian is synonymous with white-skinned, but to others, it’s nothing more than an outdated racial class. So, what does caucasian mean?
Let’s take a look at some helpful dictionary definitions:
In short, the literal definition of caucasian is of or relating to the Caucasus. However, the more modern definition of caucasian refers to the racial group commonly referred to as white.
Believe it or not, most used skin pigmentation as the main differential factor between races back in the day.
Yup, it’s true — coined in 1785 by a German philosopher named Christoph Meiners, the “Caucasian race” encompassed the native populations of Europe, the aboriginal inhabitants of West Asia, as well as the autochthones of Northern Africa, and Indians.
At the time, the caucasian race was one of two races that Meiners recognized, with the Mongolian race (or ugly race) being the other. Shortly after creating this classification, anthropologist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach took it further and divided humans into five races.
That said, here are the “five great families” — or system of racial classification — as defined by Blumenbach:
1775 — First edition containing four classifications according to geography:
1781 — Second edition containing five classifications according to geography:
1795 — Third edition containing the five great families (or five genetic varieties):
Now that you understand what the word caucasian means, take a few minutes to practice using it in a sentence. Not sure where to start? Check out our usage examples listed below:
“Did you know that the word caucasian doesn’t actually mean white?”
“The Chechens were a caucasian tribe that sought independence from the Russian Federation.”
“People from Russia, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan are usually of the caucasian race.”
“I am of European descent, so I identify as caucasian.”
“Ann is a caucasian from New England, but she was actually born in Western Asia.”
“If you ask me, it’s time we retire the word caucasian from the English language.”
“I may have white skin, but I am not caucasian — I am Asian.”
“If you’re from the Caucasus mountains, you’re probably caucasian.”
“What race are you? Caucasian, African American, Arabic, or Armenian?”
“Many people think caucasian refers to skin color, but it actually refers to the inhabitants of the Caucasus region.”
“The police said that a caucasian man with black hair is still at large.”
Did you know that there is more than one way to say our word of the day? Some of the most common translations of caucasian are as follows:
So, what does the word caucasian mean, you ask?
The definition of caucasian is a person born or living in the Caucasus. Also called Caucasia, the Caucasus is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
In other words, the term caucasian isn’t necessarily synonymous with “white-skinned,” which is what many people have come to believe.