German

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noun (1)

Ger·​man ˈjər-mən 

1

a

: a native or inhabitant of Germany

b

: a person of German descent

c

: one whose native language is German and who is a native of a country other than Germany

2

a

: the Germanic language spoken mainly in Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland

b

: the literary and official language of Germany

3

: a member of any of the Germanic peoples inhabiting western Europe in Roman times

4

often not capitalized

a

: a dance consisting of intricate figures that are improvised and intermingled with waltzes

b

chiefly Midland US : a dancing party

specifically : one at which the german is danced

German

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adjective (1)

: of, relating to, or characteristic of Germany, the Germans, or German

german

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adjective (2)

ger·​man ˈjər-mən 

: having the same parents or the same grandparents on either the maternal or paternal side

—usually used after the noun which it modifies and joined to it by a hyphen

brother-german

cousin-german

german

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noun (2)

obsolete

: a near relative

Examples of German in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

One piece of good news is that funding provided by German Films, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, to support the international distribution of German films has been increased by Euros 200,000 ($215,000) to Euros 950,000 ($1.02 million), Baumann says. —Leo Barraclough, Variety, 15 May 2024

In the Mercedes, German came to with her body crushed under the dashboard. —Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2024

More about Melissa Eddy A version of this article appears in print on May 13, 2024, Section B, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: German Initiative Sends Workers Back to School To Keep Them Working. —Melissa Eddy, New York Times, 10 May 2024

In one bizarre instance, when navigating to the Noise Cancellation section, the system language suddenly changed to German. —PCMAG, 10 May 2024

This Sunday, on the eve of Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed to compare the pro-Palestinian protests to Kristallnacht—the hideous night in 1938 when antisemitic mobs set upon Jews across the German Reich. —Ruth Margalit, The New Yorker, 9 May 2024

In this context, many on the right and the left redrew German belonging along the lines of race and religion. —TIME, 7 May 2024

Youth Circus Extravaganza: Go West, 2 and 7 p.m., Fairview-Clifton German Language School, 3689 Clifton Ave., Clifton. —Allison Kiehl, The Enquirer, 5 May 2024

Matthias Glasner’s epic dysfunctional family drama Dying has won the top prize for best film at the 2024 German Film Awards, the Lolas. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Medieval Latin Germanus, from Latin

Adjective (2)

Middle English germain, from Anglo-French, from Latin germanus having the same parents, from germen

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Adjective (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing German

• anti-German
• German cockroach
• German mark
• German measles
• German shepherd
• German shorthaired pointer
• German silver
• German wirehaired pointer
• High German
• Low German
• Middle High German
• Middle Low German
• Old High German
• Pennsylvania German
• Upper German

Kids Definition

German

noun

Ger·​man

ˈjər-mən

1

: a person born or living in Germany

2

: the Germanic language of Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland

German adjective