germanic
adjective
of or containing germanium, especially in the tetravalent state.
germanic
1 American
[jer-man-ik, -mey-nik]
/ dʒərˈmæn ɪk, -ˈmeɪ nɪk /
adjective
Chemistry.
Germanic
2
American
[jer-man-ik]
/ dʒərˈmæn ɪk /
adjective
-
of or relating to the Teutons or their languages.
-
of, relating to, or noting the Germanic branch of languages.
noun
-
a branch of the Indo-European family of languages including German, Dutch, English, the Scandinavian languages, Afrikaans, Flemish, Frisian, and the extinct Gothic language. Gmc, Gmc.
-
an ancient Indo-European language, the immediate linguistic ancestor of the Germanic languages. Gmc, Gmc.
Germanic
1
British
/ dʒɜːˈmænɪk /
noun
-
Gmc. a branch of the Indo-European family of languages that includes English, Dutch, German, the Scandinavian languages, and Gothic See East Germanic West Germanic North Germanic
-
the unrecorded language from which all of these languages developed; Proto-Germanic
adjective
-
of, denoting, or relating to this group of languages
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of Germany, the German language, or any people that speaks a Germanic language
germanic
2
British
/ dʒɜːˈmænɪk /
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of germanic1
First recorded in 1885–90; german(ium) + -ic
Origin of Germanic2
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin Germānicus “pertaining to Germany or the Germans”; see origin at German, -ic
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.
See Examples For:
It looks a little as if the ancient english empirism, so long put out of fashion here by nobler sounding germanic formulas, might be repluming itself and getting ready for a stronger flight than ever.
From A Pluralistic Universe Hibbert Lectures at Manchester College on the Present Situation in Philosophy by William James
I caught a whole germanic diet of these creatures from the fragrant flower-cups, and imprisoned them in the box.
From The Campaner Thal and Other Writings by Jean Paul
He had been very lucky with his fishing, having caught several germanic, weighing from twenty to forty pounds apiece, and an abundance of other fish.
From The Cruise of the 'Alerte' The narrative of a search for treasure on the desert island of Trinidad by E. F. (Edward Frederick) Knight
In the humanities division, the cutbacks mean the school is pausing Ph.D. admissions for a year in disciplines like comparative literature, Germanic studies and art history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
Prof Heather wants to use it to investigate what he describes as one of European history's biggest mysteries: why central and eastern Europe changed from being Germanic speaking to Slavic speaking, 1,500 years ago.
From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2025
The remake of the silent horror classic pits Von Franz against Bill Skarsgård’s ghastly Count Orlok, the Dracula figure in this Germanic riff on Bram Stoker’s vampire tale.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2024
But humanity need not be limited to mortal beings; operatic music is powerful enough to express soul-shaking despair and ardent ecstasy among the Germanic gods of Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle as well.
From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2024
I’d like to have at my disposal complicated hybrid emotions, Germanic train- car constructions like, say, “the happiness that attends disaster.”
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
