Germanic

1 of 2

adjective

Ger·​man·​ic (ˌ)jər-ˈma-nik 

1

: german

2

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the Germanic-speaking peoples

3

: of, relating to, or constituting Germanic

Germanic

2 of 2

noun

: a branch of the Indo-European language family containing English, German, Dutch, Afrikaans, Frisian, the Scandinavian languages, and Gothic see Indo-European Languages Table

Examples of Germanic in a Sentence

Adjective

Germanic languages, such as German, English, Dutch, and the Scandinavian languages.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Battle at the dawn of urban Vienna Historical records show that in the late 1st century, during the reign of the emperor Domitian, costly battles took place on the Roman Empire’s northern Danube border between the Romans and Germanic tribes. —Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2025

As the Times reports, the first stars Arthur’s nephew, Sir Gawain, a knight who faces off with Germanic Saxons invading from mainland Europe and disloyal English nobility—including his father. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2025

Noun

These variations include all languages with Germanic, Romantic, Slavic, Indo-Iranian, and Celtic ancestry. —Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025

Now evidence of trip is found The style of ornamentation, depicting an animal with teeth and large eyes, was typical of the late Germanic Iron Age, the period directly before the rise of the Vikings, around 650 to 750 A.D., Nielsen said. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1539, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1718, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing Germanic

• East Germanic
• Indo-Germanic
• North Germanic
• West Germanic

Rhymes for Germanic

• botanic
• brahmanic
• britannic
• galvanic
• hispanic
• koranic
• mechanic
• organic
• puranic
• quranic
• romanic
• satanic

Kids Definition

Germanic

1 of 2 adjective

Ger·​man·​ic (ˌ)jər-ˈman-ik 

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the peoples speaking Germanic languages

2

: of or relating to Germanic

Germanic

2 of 2 noun

: a branch of the Indo-European language family containing English, German, Dutch, Afrikaans, Frisian, Gothic, and the Scandinavian languages