Aryan

Also Ar·i·an

[air-ee-uhn, air-yuhn, ar-]

noun

1. Ethnology.,  a member or descendant of the prehistoric people who spoke Indo-European.

2. (in Nazi doctrine) a non-Jewish Caucasian, especially of Nordic stock.

3. (formerly) Indo-European.

4. (formerly) Indo-Iranian.

adjective

1. of or relating to an Aryan or the Aryans.

2. (formerly) Indo-European.

3. (formerly) Indo-Iranian.

Aryan

/ ˈɛərɪən /

noun

1. (in Nazi ideology) a Caucasian of non-Jewish descent, esp of the Nordic type

2. a member of any of the peoples supposedly descended from the Indo-Europeans, esp a speaker of an Iranian or Indic language in ancient times

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of an Aryan or Aryans

adjective

1. archaic,  Indo-European

Other Word Forms

• non-Aryan noun
• pre-Aryan adjective
• pseudo-Aryan adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Aryan¹

First recorded in 1785–95; from Sanskrit ārya “of high rank” (adjective), “aristocrat” (noun) + -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of Aryan¹

C19: from Sanskrit ārya of noble birth

Example Sentences

Mr. Fuentes’s solution for all this is a “total Aryan victory” and rule by a “Catholic Taliban.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He denies the facts of the Holocaust, opposes interracial marriage, seeks “total Aryan victory,” and urges the rule of a “Catholic Taliban.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Father Mark Rowles, 57, went by the name "skinheadlad1488" in a chatroom called Aryan Reich Killers to write offensive messages about Muslims.

Read more on BBC

A law enforcement source who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly said authorities weren’t previously aware Morgan was in bad standing with other members of the Aryan Brotherhood.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He said the slogan was "a translation of Hitler's sense of Aryan supremacy" and was popularised in the US in the 1980s by the late white supremacist David Lane.

Read more on BBC