Germanic

1 of 2

adjective

Ger·​man·​ic (ˌ)jər-ˈma-nik How to pronounce Germanic (audio)
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
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Adjective
More recently, the Vienna Museum discovered the skeletons of more than 129 Roman and Germanic soldiers. Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2025 Ritchey sees the fantastic as the foil to the Germanic Bildungsroman, which influenced continental Romantic arts across disciplines. Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
Free to enter; 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 14, and 2 to 10 p.m. Sunday, June 15; 425 Rice St. June 14–15 — Deutsche Tage, Germanic American Institute: The long-running annual German cultural festival returns with food, beer, music, dancing and more. Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2025 These variations include all languages with Germanic, Romantic, Slavic, Indo-Iranian, and Celtic ancestry. Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Germanic

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1539, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1718, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Germanic was in 1539

Cite this Entry

“Germanic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Germanic. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

Germanic

1 of 2 adjective
Ger·​man·​ic (ˌ)jər-ˈman-ik How to pronounce Germanic (audio)
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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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