german
1 Americanadjective
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having the same father and mother, as a full brother or sister (usually used in combination).
a brother-german.
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born of the brother or sister of one's father or mother, as a first cousin (usually used in combination).
a cousin-german.
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Archaic. germane.
adjective
noun
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a native or inhabitant of Germany.
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a descendant of a native of Germany.
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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.
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Linguistics. any variety of West Germanic speech native to Germany, Austria, or Switzerland.
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(usually lowercase) an elaborate social dance resembling a cotillion.
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(lowercase) a dancing party featuring the german.
noun
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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
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a native, inhabitant, or citizen of Germany
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a person whose native language is German
Swiss Germans
Volga Germans
adjective
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denoting, relating to, or using the German language
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relating to, denoting, or characteristic of any German state or its people
adjective
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having the same parents as oneself
a brother-german
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having a parent that is a brother or sister of either of one's own parents
cousin-german
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a less common word for germane
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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anti-Germannoun
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half-Germanadjective
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non-Germanadjective
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pre-Germanadjective
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pro-Germanadjective
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pseudo-Germanadjective
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quasi-Germanadjective
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un-Germanadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of german1
1250–1300; Middle English germain < Old French < Latin germānus, derivative of germen; see 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.
"We think robots can defeat humans by 2050," said Thomas Rofer, spokesperson for Germany's B-Human team at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence.
From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026
German and French final inflation data for June are due Friday, and Italy will announce industrial production data for May too.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026
Their play on the ball was among the toughest tests for Tuchel since the German took charge at the start of last year.
From BBC • Jul. 2, 2026
The smell of sweat permeated the air as she ripped through several of her hits — including collaborations with Reysha Rami and German producer MCR-T.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026
Pickwick said that the German doctor in charge of the prison hospital was a humane man who occasionally arranged a medical discharge.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.