A member of a social class in India that was traditionally considered outside the caste system and treated as untouchable; the term was reclaimed with positive meaning.
From Hindi harijan, literally 'person of God,' coined by Mahatma Gandhi in the 1930s from Sanskrit hari (God) and jan (person). Gandhi used it as a respectful alternative to the derogatory term 'untouchable' to describe members of the lowest castes.
Gandhi's choice to call this group 'children of God' was revolutionary—it completely flipped the script on centuries of discrimination by reframing people society had rejected as actually being closest to the divine, which is why the term became a powerful tool for social reform.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.