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High German

American  

noun

  1. the group of West Germanic languages that in a.d. c400–c500 underwent the second consonant shift described by Grimm's law. HG, H.G.

  2. German.

High German British  

noun

  1.  HG.  the standard German language, historically developed from the form of West Germanic spoken in S Germany See also German Low German

  2. any of the German dialects of S Germany, Austria, or Switzerland

"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

Etymology

Origin of High German

First recorded in 1700–10

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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.

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