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Aryan

American  
[air-ee-uhn, air-yuhn, ar-] / ˈɛər i ən, ˈɛər yən, ˈær- /
Also Arian

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 British  
/ 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. archaic Indo-European

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of Aryan

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The incident - and what has followed since - has had a "devastating impact" on Aryan, who is traumatised by what he saw.

From BBC

Now Field is a protected witness for federal prosecutors seeking to convict three of the Aryan Brotherhood’s reputed leaders.

From Los Angeles Times

"Iran," however, is rooted in the word "Aryan," meaning "Land of the Aryans," and has been used locally since the Sassanian era to denote the broader realm of the Persian empires.

From Salon

Aryan Khedkhar, a 13-year-old from Rochester Hills, Michigan, who finished tied for fifth last year, breaks down tricky words into categories.

From Seattle Times

The Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations said the allegations were “once again a stain in our community that we have worked so hard to erase since the early days of the Aryan Nations.”

From Seattle Times