'aryanize' originates from English, formed from the word 'Aryan' plus the productive suffix '-ize' (from Greek '-izein' via Latin/French), where '-ize' meant 'to make or to perform an action'.

'Aryan' itself ultimately comes from Sanskrit 'ārya' meaning 'noble' or 'of good family'; the modern English sense of 'Aryan' developed in the 18th–19th centuries through linguistic and racial theories, and was combined with the English verbalizing suffix '-ize' to produce 'aryanize' in the 20th century (notably in reference to Nazi policies).

Initially formed as a neutral verb meaning 'to make (someone or something) Aryan,' it became strongly associated with and primarily understood as the Nazi policy meaning 'to transfer Jewish property or status to Aryans' and carries that historical/political sense today.