Harijan

[ har-i-jan ]

noun,plural Har·i·jans, (especially collectively) Har·i·jan.

Disparaging and Offensive. (in India) a member of a group formerly known as the untouchables: Harijan is a term used by Mohandas K. Gandhi but now considered condescending.

Origin of Harijan

First recorded in 1930–35; from Neo-Sanskrit harijana “person of Hari” (a name for Vishnu), hence, in Gandhi's conception, a child of God

Sometimes harijan .

Words Nearby Harijan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for Harijan

Harijan

/ (ˈhʌrɪdʒən) /

noun

a member of certain classes in India, formerly considered inferior and untouchable: See scheduled castes

Origin of Harijan

Hindi, literally: man of God (so called by Mahatma Gandhi), from Hari god + jan man

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

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