It does mean white/of European origin in American English. Just like entree means main dish. Both don’t correspond to the original meaning of the words.
You can find similar shifts in meaning in other languages too (e.g., German calls a mobile/cell phone “Handy” which makes no sense to a native English speaker).
I question the wisdom of telling native speakers that their language uses a word wrong/that doesn’t mean what “they assume it means”. Stuff in AE (and other language) means exactly what AE speakers (and speakers of other languages) assume it means.
Cau·ca·sian
/kôˈkāZHən/
NORTH AMERICAN
white-skinned; of European origin.
I question the wisdom of telling native speakers that their language uses a word wrong/that doesn’t mean what “they assume it means”. Stuff in AE (and other language) means exactly what AE speakers (and speakers of other languages) assume it means.
Cau·ca·sian /kôˈkāZHən/ NORTH AMERICAN white-skinned; of European origin.