West Germanic

American  

noun

1. a subbranch of Germanic that includes English, Frisian, Flemish, Dutch, Plattdeutsch, Yiddish, and German. WGmc, W. Gmc.

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adjective

1. of or relating to this subbranch of Germanic.

West Germanic British  

noun

1. a subbranch of the Germanic languages that consists of English, Frisian, Dutch, Flemish, Afrikaans, Low German, German, Yiddish, and their associated dialects

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Etymology

Origin of West Germanic

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

West Germanic

In the Roman West, Germanic peoples became both allies and enemies of the Roman state.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

To translate her into English is to excavate linguistic strata: Panska reads like a Japonic parody of Nordic syntax translated into a West Germanic language.

From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2022

After that trip to the Certosa he discontinued all Lombard studies, and, it is said, actually withdrew from publication a scathing article in which the West Germanic contingent were handled according to their deserts.

From The Collectors by Mather, Frank Jewett

Indeed we might say that to-day the English and German forms resemble each other more than does either set the West Germanic prototypes from which each is independently derived.

From Language An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Sapir, Edward

A few Latin appellatives learned from the Romans in the German wars had been adopted into the common West Germanic tongue, and are found in English as in the allied dialects.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6 "English Language" to "Epsom Salts" by Various