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german

1 American  
[jur-muhn] / ˈdʒɜr mən /

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 American  
[jur-muhn] / ˈdʒɜr mən /

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 British  
/ 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

"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

adjective

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

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

"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
german 2 British  
/ ˈdʒɜːmən /

adjective

    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

  1. a less common word for germane

"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

german 3 British  
/ ˈdʒɜːmən /

noun

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

"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

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

Etymology

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)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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