German

Ger·man

Use German in a sentence

A plate of German food.

adjective

The definition of German is relating to the culture of Germany.
An example of German used as an adjective is German food, such as weiner schnitzel.

noun

The definition of a German is a person from Germany, a person who has ancestors from Germany, or any of the West Germanic languages.
1. An example of a German is Heidi Klum.
2. An example of German is standard High German.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"german." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/German>.

APA Style

german. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/German

german

closely related: now chiefly in compounds, meaning

having the same parents: a brother-german
having the same grandparents on either the father's side or the mother's: a cousin-german is a first cousin

Origin of german

Middle English germain, german from Old French germain from Classical Latin germanus, akin to germen, a sprout, germ

German

a person born or living in Germany
the West Germanic language spoken chiefly in Germany, Austria, and certain parts of Switzerland, technically called New High German
[g-]
1. a complicated dance for many couples in which partners are changed often
2. a party at which the german is danced

Origin of German

Middle English (only in plural ) from Medieval Latin Germanus from L, probably from Celtic

of Germany or its people, language, or culture

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"german." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/German>.

APA Style

german. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/German

german

noun

Regional

An intricate dance for many couples.
A party for dancing at which this dance is featured.

Origin of german

Short for German cotillion

adjective

Having the same parents or the same grandparents on either the mother's or the father's side. Often used in combination: a cousin-german; a brother-german.

Origin of german

Middle English germain from Old French from Latin germānus from germen offshoot ; see genə- in Indo-European roots.

German

adjective

Of, relating to, or characteristic of Germany or its people.
Of or relating to the German language.

noun

a. A native or inhabitant of Germany.
b. A person of German ancestry.
Any of the West Germanic languages and dialects spoken or originating in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, especially standard High German.

Origin of German

Middle English from Latin Germānus

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"german." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/German>.

APA Style

german. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/German

Adjective

(comparative more german, superlative most german)

1602, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, V.2:
The phrase would bee more Germaine.
Shakespeare
Wert thou a leopard, thou wert german to the lion.

Noun

(plural germans)

(obsolete) A near relative.

Origin

From Old French germain, from Latin germānus. See also germane, a formal variant which has survived in specific senses. Not related to the proper noun German.

Noun

(plural germans)

An elaborate round dance, often with a waltz movement.
A social party at which the german is danced.

Origin

From German (“of Germany”).

Noun

(plural Germans)

A native or inhabitant of Germany; a person of German citizenship or nationality.
A member of the Germanic ethnic group which is the most populous ethnic group in Germany; a person of German descent.
A member of a Germanic tribe.
Rome was sacked by Germans and the Western Roman Empire collapsed.

Proper noun

An Indo-European (Indo-Germanic) language, primarily spoken in Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, South Tyrol, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and a small part of Belgium.
German has three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter.

Adjective

(comparative more German, superlative most German)

Of or relating to the nation of Germany.
Of or relating to the natives or inhabitants of Germany; to people of German descent.
Her German husband has blond hair.
Of, in or relating to the German language.
We take German classes twice a week.
Because the instructions were German, Yves couldn't read them.

Origin

From Latin Germanus, Germani (“the peoples of Germania”), as distinct from Gauls (in the writings of Caesar and Tacitus), and of uncertain ultimate origin (possibly Celtic/Gaulish).

Not related to the Latin adjective germānus (whence the English words german and germane, through Old French). Attested since at least 1520. Replaced the older terms Almain and Dutch in English.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"german." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/German>.

APA Style

german. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/German

German

german

German

german

German

Sentence Examples

Related

Also Mentioned In

Words near german in the dictionary

German

german

German

german

German

Sentence Examples

Related

Also Mentioned In

Words near german in the dictionary

Join YourDictionary today