Aryan

[ air-ee-uh n, air-yuh n, ar- ]
/ ˈɛər i ən, ˈɛər yən, ˈær- /

noun

Ethnology. a member or descendant of the prehistoric people who spoke Indo-European.
(in Nazi doctrine) a non-Jewish Caucasian, especially of Nordic stock.
(formerly) Indo-European.
(formerly) Indo-Iranian.

adjective

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT
Also Arian.

Origin of Aryan

1785–95; < Sanskrit ārya of high rank (adj.), aristocrat (noun) + -an

OTHER WORDS FROM Aryan

non-Ar·y·an, noun, adjectivepre-Ar·y·an, adjectivepseu·do-Ar·y·an, adjective, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for aryan

British Dictionary definitions for aryan

Aryan

Arian

/ (ˈɛərɪən) /

noun

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

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

adjective, noun

archaic Indo-European

Word Origin for Aryan

C19: from Sanskrit ārya of noble birth
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