Etymology

german

Ger·man
G2E1R1M3A1N1

Today it means: A native or inhabitant of Germany. Full definition →

Old French germain ← Latin germānus
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german · adjective, noun1

  1. Latin · derived fromgermānus
  2. Old French · derived fromgermain
  3. English todaygerman

From Old French germain, from Latin germānus, from germen (“seed, sprout, bud”). See also germane, a formal variant which has survived in specific senses. Not related to the proper noun German.

german · noun2

From German (“of Germany”).

German · noun, proper noun, adjective3

  1. Celtic · derived from
  2. Latin · derived fromGermānus
  3. English todayGerman

From Latin Germānus, Germānī (“the peoples of Germānia”), as distinct from Gauls (in the writings of Caesar and Tacitus), and of uncertain ultimate origin (possibly Celtic/Gaulish). Not related to german (“closely related”) or germane (from the Latin adjective germānus, through Old French). Attested since at least 1520. Replaced the older terms Almain and Dutch (from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz) in English. Besides cognates of German, Almain, and Dutch, two other categories of words for the Germans in other languages are cognates of Saxon and descendants of Proto-Slavic *němьcь; see those entries for more. The surname is generally from the noun, though sometimes confused with Herman, Hermann under Russian influence. As a German surname, Americanized from Germann. Compare Germán, Germain, Jerman.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.