Ar|y|an

Ar|y|an «AIR ee uhn, AR-; AHR yuhn», adjective, noun.

–adj.

1. of or having to do with a family of languages from which most European languages are descended; Indo-European.

2. Archaic. of or having to do with the Indo-Iranian portion of Indo-European.

3. (as used by the Nazis) of a Caucasian who is a gentile, especially of the Nordic type.

–n.

1. a person belonging to a prehistoric group of people who spoke the language from which the Indo-European languages are derived.

2. a person supposed to be descended from this prehistoric group of people.

3. the assumed prehistoric language of this people.

4. (as used by the Nazis) a Caucasian who is a gentile, especially of the Nordic type. Also, Arian.

╂[< Sanskrit ārya noble]