Germanism

[jur-muh-niz-uhm]

noun

1. a usage, idiom, or other feature that is characteristic of the German language.

2. a custom, manner, mode of thought, action, etc., that is characteristic of the German people.

3. extreme partiality for or attachment to Germany, Germans, or German customs, manners, etc.

Germanism

/ ˈdʒɜːməˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. a word or idiom borrowed from or modelled on German

2. a German custom, trait, practice, etc

3. attachment to or high regard for German customs, institutions, etc

Other Word Forms

• anti-Germanism noun
• pro-Germanism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Germanism¹

First recorded in 1605–15; German + -ism

Example Sentences

“Germanism, socialism and beer makes Milwaukee different,” says John Gurda, a historian.

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But the more refined Germanism of later times takes what is perhaps meant to be a mitigated view, and treats it as a myth, that is, a sort of mythological tale.

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The mere Germanisms of the novel rests and signs appalled me.

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The Bohemian reformer, zealous for the purity of the language of his country, often in his sermons inveighed quaintly and vehemently against those who defiled the Czech language by introducing numerous “Germanisms.”

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Let us look at the whole matter, both the biology and the Germanism, in the light of freedom from dogma and outraged feeling.

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