Low German

American  

noun

1. the West Germanic languages not included in the High German group, as English, Dutch, Flemish, or Plattdeutsch. LG, L.G.

2. Plattdeutsch.

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Low German British  

noun

1. Also called: Plattdeutsch.   LG.  a language of N Germany, spoken esp in rural areas: more closely related to Dutch than to standard High German See also German High German

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Etymology

Origin of Low German

First recorded in 1835–45

Compare meaning

How does low-german compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• High German vs. Low German

Example Sentences

Mr Holbrooks remembers when the Low German Mennonite group began immigrating to his hometown and nearby states in the 1970s.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2025

The Mennonites' native language is typically Plautdietsch, a unique blend of Low German, Prussian dialects and Dutch.

From Reuters • May 19, 2022

Mom has prepared a small lunch — faspa, as is said in Low German.

From Salon • Dec. 5, 2021

Their first language is Plautdietsch, or Low German, an archaic unwritten dialect that dates back to sixteenth-century Polish Prussia, where many of their ancestors settled after persecution drove them from home.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 18, 2019

He was terribly in earnest, and he spoke in his own Low German.

From Ten Years Near the German Frontier A Retrospect and a Warning by Egan, Maurice Francis