Exact historical dictionary sense
Class in Webster's 1913 dictionary
The 1913 record labels class as noun. Its source-bounded etymology and selected historical definition appear below.
WEBSTER 1913noun
Class
[F. classe, fr. L. classis class, collection, fleet; akin to Gr. klh^sis a calling, kalei^n to call, E. claim, haul.]
Cross-verified historical senseHeadwordclass
Part of speechnoun
Historical etymology[F. classe, fr. L. classis class, collection, fleet; akin to Gr. klh^sis a calling, kalei^n to call, E. claim, haul.]
Selected historical definitionA group of individuals ranked together as possessing common characteristics; as, the different classes of society; the educated class; the lower classes.
Signed record IDwebster1913-class-noun-551b12da1713
Source locatorCIDE.C, paragraph 8706; Gutenberg eBook 661
Quick answer
In Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "class" is labeled noun. Its etymology is recorded as: "[F. classe, fr. L. classis class, collection, fleet; akin to Gr. klh^sis a calling, kalei^n to call, E. claim, haul.]" The selected historical definition says: "A group of individuals ranked together as possessing common characteristics; as, the different classes of society; the educated class; the lower classes."