Bildungsroman

[ bil-doo ngz-roh-mahn; German beel-doo ngks-raw-mahn ]

/ ˈbɪl dʊŋz roʊˌmɑn; German ˈbil dʊŋks rɔˌmɑn /

noun, plural Bil·dungs·ro·mans, German Bil·dungs·ro·ma·ne [beel-doo ngks-raw-mah-nuh] /ˈbil dʊŋks rɔˌmɑ nə/.

a type of novel concerned with the education, development, and maturing of a young protagonist.

RELATED WORDS

saga, roman-fleuve

Origin of Bildungsroman

1905–10; < German, equivalent to Bildung formation + -s noun ending in compounds + Roman novel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for bildungsroman

Bildungsroman

/ German (ˈbɪldʊŋsromaːn) /

noun

a novel concerned with a person's formative years and development

Word Origin for Bildungsroman

literally: education novel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bildungsroman

Bildungsroman

1910, from German Bildungsroman, from Bildung "education, formation, growth" (from Bild "picture, image, figure;" Old High German bilade) + roman "novel" (see romance). A novel set in the formative years, or the time of spiritual education, of the main character.