Revised 2021
Aryanadjective & noun
Factsheet
What does the word Aryan mean?
There are six meanings listed in OED's entry for the word Aryan. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the word Aryan?
About 4occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1830 | 0.0026 |
| 1840 | 0.042 |
| 1850 | 1.1 |
| 1860 | 3.9 |
| 1870 | 7.0 |
| 1880 | 8.9 |
| 1890 | 7.9 |
| 1900 | 6.3 |
| 1910 | 5.2 |
| 1920 | 5.1 |
| 1930 | 5.1 |
| 1940 | 4.6 |
| 1950 | 4.4 |
| 1960 | 4.2 |
| 1970 | 3.9 |
| 1980 | 3.4 |
| 1990 | 3.3 |
| 2000 | 3.5 |
| 2010 | 3.6 |
How is the word Aryan pronounced?
British English
/ˈɛːriən/
AIR-ee-uhn
/ˈɑːriən/
AR-ee-uhn
U.S. English
/ˈɛriən/
AIR-ee-uhn
/ˈɑriən/
AR-ee-uhn
Where does the word Aryan come from?
Earliest known use
1830s
The earliest known use of the word Aryan is in the 1830s.
OED's earliest evidence for Aryan is from 1839, in Penny Cyclopaedia.
Aryan is apparently a borrowing from Latin; probably modelled on German lexical items.
Etymons: classical Latin Ariānus.
Nearby entries
- arvethliche, adv.Old English–1250
- arvethness, n.Old English–1175
- ARVN, n.1966–
- arvo, n.1926–
- arworthly, adv.Old English–1175
- ary, v.a1642–
- -ary, suffix¹
- -ary, suffix²
- ary-, comb. form
- Arya, n.1794–
- Aryan, adj. & n.1839–
- Aryanism, n.1850–
- Aryanization, n.1856–
- Aryanize, v.1853–
- Aryanized, adj.1853–
- aryballos, n.1848–
- aryl, n.1906–
- arylation, n.1918–
- aryteno-, comb. form
- arytenoid, adj. & n.1728–
- arytenoidal, adj.1872–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for Aryan, adj. & n.
Aryan, adj. & n. was revised in September 2021.
Aryan, adj. & n. was last modified in June 2025.
Revision of the OED is a long-term project, and oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- corrections and revisions to definitions, especially to improve clarity, accuracy, or intelligibility;
- new or updated quotation evidence, and reverified or redated bibliographical information;
- new or updated pronunciations (transcriptions and audio files);
- new or revised etymological information and improved coverage of variant spellings;
- new senses or phrases added in print and online updates since OED2 (1989).
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into Aryan, adj. & n. in June 2025.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1885)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Chicago 18
Oxford English Dictionary, “,” , .
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MLA 9
“” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, , .
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APA 7
Oxford University Press. (n.d.). In Oxford English dictionary. Retrieved , from
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Citation details
Factsheet for Aryan, adj. & n.
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Nearby entries
- arvethliche, adv.Old English–1250
- arvethness, n.Old English–1175
- ARVN, n.1966–
- arvo, n.1926–
- arworthly, adv.Old English–1175
- ary, v.a1642–
- -ary, suffix¹
- -ary, suffix²
- ary-, comb. form
- Arya, n.1794–
- Aryan, adj. & n.1839–
- Aryanism, n.1850–
- Aryanization, n.1856–
- Aryanize, v.1853–
- Aryanized, adj.1853–
- aryballos, n.1848–
- aryl, n.1906–
- arylation, n.1918–
- aryteno-, comb. form
- arytenoid, adj. & n.1728–
- arytenoidal, adj.1872–
