Use of Aryan to designate a "white non-Jewish person, especially one of northern European origin or descent" entered the English language from German, [1] after this meaning was introduced in 1887 and further developed by German anti-Semitic propagandists in the context of a so-called "Aryan race". [22] . Aryan, name originally given to a people who were said to speak an archaic Indo-European language and who were thought to have settled in prehistoric times in ancient Iran and the northern Indian subcontinent.

Understanding the Context

The word Aryan is an example of how words and concepts develop over time. In the European and American context, the term Aryan started as a scholarly concept used to describe an ancient people who spoke related languages. Aryan is a designation originally meaning “civilized”, “noble”, or “free” without reference to any ethnicity. What Does 'Aryan' Mean?

Key Insights

The word Aryan comes from the ancient languages of Iran and India. It was the term that ancient Indo-Iranian-speaking people likely used to identify themselves in the period around 2000 B.C.E. This ancient group's language was one branch of the Indo-European language family. Literally, the word Aryan may mean a noble one. The blending of Aryan and indigenous traditions gave rise to new societal structures and religious practices, marking a pivotal moment in Aryans history and shaping the future of both Indian and Iranian civilizations.

Final Thoughts

To quickly put any Nazi suppositions to rest, the earliest known Aryans lived in prehistoric Iran. These people migrated to northern India sometime around 1,500 BC. Previous inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent called these newcomers ārya. The English term “Aryan” comes from this Sanskrit word. While the Indo-Iranian people used the term Aryan as self-designation, the Indic people of the Vedic period in India and the closely associated Iranian people used it as an ethnic label for themselves.