German

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noun (1)

Ger·​man ˈjər-mən How to pronounce German (audio)
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 How to pronounce german (audio)
: 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
The king made two highly successful state visits to Europe, addressing the German Parliament in serviceable German, and drawing excited crowds during a walkabout with President Emmanuel Macron of France. Mark Landler, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2024 As the other men froze in place, Gordon-Creed, knowing the German would see the work and expose the whole operation, hid in a bush beside the track. Myke Cole and Michael Livingston, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Feb. 2024 Jacob Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, interpreted the leak as a signal to Hungary’s leader. Beatriz Ríos, Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2024 They’re accurately displayed for the club in German. Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024 Other grandfather nicknames tied to culture and background among the respondents include Opa (German), Zayde (Yiddish), Ojiisan (Japanese), Vovô (Portuguese), Daideo (Irish), and Dedushka (Russian). Kristi Pahr, Parents, 30 Jan. 2024 In a quest to satisfy his curiosity about Halloween traditions, a 12-year-old Gregg asked the Louisburg Library librarian, Mrs. German, for research assistance. Kimberly Winter Stern, Kansas City Star, 25 Jan. 2024 The patron of the festival is the German Culture Minister Claudia Roth. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2024 The most infamous slaying was the July 1979 shootout at the Dadeland Mall, in which two of Griselda's hitmen murdered German Jimenez Panesso and his bodyguard, Juan Carlos Hernandez, and injured several others, according to NBC Miami. Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'German.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of German was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near German

Cite this Entry

“German.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/German. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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