Etymology

bildungsroman

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Today it means: A novel tracing the spiritual, moral, psychological, or social development and growth of the main character, usually from childhood to maturity. Full definition →

German Bildungsroman
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The story

  1. German · borrowed fromBildungsroman
  2. English todaybildungsroman

Borrowed from German Bildungsroman, from Bildung (“education, formation”) + -s- + Roman (“novel”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.