 "Jatis" have existed in India among Hindus, Muslims, Christians and tribal people, and there is no clear linear order among them.The term "caste" is not originally an Indian word, though it is now widely used, both in English and in Indian languages.According to the "Oxford English Dictionary", it is derived from the Portuguese "casta", meaning "race, lineage, breed" and, originally, "'pure or unmixed (stock or breed)".