German

Language: en

🇬🇧 /ˈdʒɜːmən/ 🇺🇸 /ˈdʒɜrmən/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    A native or inhabitant of Germany, or a person of German descent.; The West Germanic language spoken primarily in Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland.; A complex card game for three or more players, popular in the 19th century.; A type of round dance popular in the 19th century, often performed at formal balls.
  2. adjective
    Of or relating to Germany, its people, language, or culture.; Of or relating to the Germanic peoples or languages.; Closely related; having the same parents (used in the phrase 'cousin german' meaning first cousin).

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: Germans Comparative: more german Superlative: most german

Collocations

German shepherdGerman languageGerman engineeringGerman cuisineGerman measlescousin german

Derivatives

GermanicGermanizeGermanizationGermanismGermanophileGermanophobe

Synonyms

Teutonrelatedakincognateallied

Commonly confused

Germanic
EN: 'Germanic' refers to the broader language family or cultural group (e.g., Germanic languages include English, Dutch, and Scandinavian languages), while 'German' refers specifically to Germany.
germane
EN: 'Germane' means relevant or pertinent to a subject; 'german' (lowercase, archaic) means closely related by blood.

Spelling tips

EN: Always capitalize 'German' when referring to the people, language, or anything related to Germany. The lowercase 'german' (meaning 'closely related') is a rare, archaic adjective often confused with 'germane'.

💬 Examples

  1. She is a German who moved to Canada in 2010.

  2. He is learning German at the university.

  3. They spent the evening playing German at the club.

  4. The ball concluded with a lively German.

  5. German engineering is renowned for its precision.

  6. The German tribes migrated across Europe during the late Roman period.

  7. He is my cousin german, sharing both grandparents with me.