ārya [ariya] a noble disciple. The three kinds of noble disciples are the ordinary ones (prakṛtiśrāvaka-s), the great ones (mahāśrāvaka-s), and the eminent leading disciples (agraśrāvaka-s). The ordinary disciple (prakṛtiśrāvaka) gains āryahood when he attains spiritual maturity. He takes his own time to attain the goal. The (eighty) great disciples (mahāśrāvaka-s) attained perfection in a period of a hundred thousand world-cycles. The number of these disciples varies in scriptures. The disciples who attained perfection in a period of one asaṃkhyeya kalpa and a hundred thousand world cycles are known as the eminent leading disciples, (agraśrāvaka-s). Śāriputra [Sāriputta] and Maudgalyāyana [Moggallāna] are the two eminent disciples of the Buddha. Kāśyapa, Upāli, Ānanda, Anuruddha and Kātyāyana are prominent mahāśrāvaka-s.

Buddhānusmṛti - A Glossary of Buddhist Terms

Aṭṭhasālinī. III. 476-477. Majjhima Nikāya. Araṇavibhaṅga, Sabbāsava.