german

¹

[jur-muhn]

adjective

1. having the same father and mother, as a full brother or sister (usually used in combination).

   a brother-german.

2. born of the brother or sister of one's father or mother, as a first cousin (usually used in combination).

   a cousin-german.

3. Archaic.,  germane.

German

²

[jur-muhn]

adjective

1. of or relating to Germany, its inhabitants, or their language.

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Germany.

2. a descendant of a native of Germany.

3. Also called High German. an Indo-European language that is based on a High German dialect, is official in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and is also widely used as an international language for scholarship and science. G, G.

4. Linguistics.,  any variety of West Germanic speech native to Germany, Austria, or Switzerland.

5. (usually lowercase),  an elaborate social dance resembling a cotillion.

6. (lowercase),  a dancing party featuring the german.

German

¹

/ ˈdʒɜːmən /

noun

1. the official language of Germany and Austria and one of the official languages of Switzerland; the native language of approximately 100 million people. It is an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch, closely related to English and Dutch. There is considerable diversity of dialects; modern standard German is a development of Old High German, influenced by Martin Luther's translation of the Bible See also High German Low German

2. a native, inhabitant, or citizen of Germany

3. a person whose native language is German

   Swiss Germans

   Volga Germans

adjective

1. denoting, relating to, or using the German language

2. relating to, denoting, or characteristic of any German state or its people

german

²

/ ˈdʒɜːmən /

adjective

1. 1. having the same parents as oneself

      a brother-german

   2. having a parent that is a brother or sister of either of one's own parents

      cousin-german

2. a less common word for germane

german

³

/ ˈdʒɜːmən /

noun

1. a dance consisting of complicated figures and changes of partners

Other Word Forms

• anti-German noun
• half-German adjective
• non-German adjective
• pre-German adjective
• pro-German adjective
• pseudo-German adjective
• quasi-German adjective
• un-German adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of German¹

1250–1300; Middle English germain < Old French < Latin germānus, derivative of germen; germ

Origin of German²

1520–30; < Latin Germānus German; cognate with Greek Germanoí (plural)

Word History and Origins

Origin of German¹

C14: via Old French germain, from Latin germānus of the same race, from germen sprout, offshoot

Origin of German²

C19: shortened from German cotillion

Example Sentences

In early October, drones spotted over the German city of Munich twice shuttered the city's airport, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying "our suspicion is that Russia is behind most of these drone flights".

Read more on Barron's

German journalist Constantin Eckner believes it is the latter.

Read more on BBC

"That has nothing to do with Tuchel being German," he said.

Read more on BBC

Reber, the German collector who lived in an 18th-century estate in Lausanne filled with works by the four “essential” Cubists.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

German software giant SAP ditched its dual-CEO model in the pandemic after less than six months; CEO Christian Klein has run the company solo since.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal