aryan

Everyday

1. (history) Aryan was an old name for the ancient people who spoke early Indo-Iranian languages in Iran and northern India; «arya» meant «noble» in Sanskrit. tree →
2. (history, Nazi) The Nazis in Germany misused «Aryan» to mean a made-up «master race» of white, often blond, people; this idea was false and cruel and was used to justify the Holocaust. tree →
3. (a name) Aryan (also spelled Aarya or Arian) is also a boy's name in India and elsewhere. tree →

In the lessons

Used in history lessons on ancient India and Iran and on Nazi Germany and the Second World War; it teaches how racist ideas are false and dangerous. Scientists today say «Indo-European» or «Indo-Iranian» for the languages.

Examples

• The Nazis falsely claimed that «Aryans» were better than other people. tree →
• There is no such thing as a master race. tree →
• The name Iran comes from an old word linked to «Aryan». tree →
• In ancient Sanskrit, «arya» meant «noble». tree →
• Hitler's ideas about an «Aryan race» led to terrible crimes. tree →
• My classmate's name is Aryan. tree →

Note

Written with a capital A. Pronounced AIR-ee-un. Because of its Nazi misuse, the word is avoided in science today; there is no «Aryan race». As a name in India it is common and respectful.