Brahmanism. English word coined from the Sanskrit term Brāhmaṇa (from which is also derived the anglicization ‘Brahmin’) meaning a member of the Indian priestly caste. The term Brahmanism is best reserved for the early phase in Indian religion (roughly 800 ce to 500 ce) in which ritual sacrifices offered by the priestly caste were the dominant form of orthodox religious practice. The term thus denotes the early form of the religion subsequently known to the West as ‘Hinduism’.

A Dictionary of Buddhism, Oxford University Press, 2003, 2004 (which is available in electronic version from answer.com)