Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
aryan
Adjective & Noun
/ˈɛəriən/
Definition
Relating to or denoting a people speaking an Indo-European language who are regarded as the ancestors of the Europeans and certain peoples of southwestern and southern Asia.
Examples
- The Aryan migration theory suggests that Indo-European speakers arrived in India from the northwest.
- In ancient texts, the term Aryan was used to denote the noble or superior qualities of certain groups.
Meaning
The term ‘Aryan’ historically refers to a group of people thought to be part of the Indo-European language family. Today, the term is often misused in a racial context, but it originally referred to a linguistic and cultural group.
Synonyms
- Indo-European
- Noble
- Pure (historically misused)
