Dalit
noun
Da·lit ˈdä-lit 
plural Dalits
: a member of the lowest class in the traditional Hindu social hierarchy having in traditional Hindu belief the quality of defiling by contact a member of a higher caste
Note: The Dalits were also formerly referred to as untouchables, a term that is now understood as offensive.
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Marathi or Hindi, borrowed from New Sanskrit dalita- "not belonging to one of the four traditional caste groupings in India, person not a member of these castes," going back to Sanskrit, "burst open, cleft, dispersed, destroyed," verbal adjective of dálati "(it) bursts, cracks, flies open," perhaps based on a variant dālay- of dāray-, causative derivative of dṛṇā́ti "(s/he) bursts, tears" — more at tear entry 1
First Known Use
1948, in the meaning defined above