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ariyā

ariya

masc nom pl of ariya (adj); fem nom sg of ariya (adj); fem nom pl of ariya (adj); nt nom pl of ariya (adj); …

1. noble; distinguished; of an awakened being; of the Buddha
2. (abhi) supra-mundane
3. ethically noble person; person of moral integrity
4. awakened being; enlightened one; arahant
5. name of a privately awakened Buddha; lit. noble
6. speaker of an Indo-Aryan language; lit. noble

Etymology. From Proto-Indo-European *ar- 'to fit, join, order' (cognate with Sanskrit ārya-, Avestan airya-, Latin ordo 'order', Greek arithmos 'number'). The root sense 'fitted, ordered, proper' evolved to mean 'noble' in the context of the Vedic peoples' self-designation, thence to 'ethically noble, enlightened' in Buddhism. In the canon, ariya marks the transcendent path and its fruits: ariyasacca (noble truths), ariyadhana (noble wealth: faith, virtue, learning, generosity, wisdom), arahant (an ariya who has reached the end).

Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.

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