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
Adjective
Hagen follows the story of the soldier Hagen, the legendary dragon slayer Siegfried, the princess warrior Kriemhild, and the magical Valkyrie queen Brunhild in a tale of love, family, power and war that ends —this is a Germanic tale after all — catastrophically. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2024 Reflecting different migration waves, others ply their trade in Spanish, Chinese or Plautdietsch, an archaic Germanic language influenced by Dutch. Simon Romero Alejandro Cegarra, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 These similarities across languages highlight the common roots and shared histories of the Germanic language family. Erik Kain, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 The chart shows how some sounds from proto-Indo-European shifted in Germanic languages, such as English, while remaining the same in non-Germanic languages, such as French. Kurt Kleiner, Discover Magazine, 16 Feb. 2024 Many of these festivals stem from pre-Christian pagan traditions in Europe, including Celtic, Anglo-Saxon and Germanic cultures. Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 26 Jan. 2024 The longstanding ritual began when Roman legions brought that tradition to the Germanic tribes who concluded that if the sun appeared on Candlemas Day and a hedgehog cast a shadow, there would be six more weeks of bad weather to come. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 3 Feb. 2024 Its roots can be primarily found in the languages that form the Germanic and Indo-European language families. Erik Kain, Forbes, 12 Nov. 2023 Frisian, the Germanic language most closely related to English, is stuck in a tiny coastal area of Holland and western Germany. Jared Diamond, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2023

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

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

Dictionary Entries Near Germanic

Cite this Entry

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

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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