Meanings
germane1
comparative more germane · superlative most germane · alternative obsolete germain · alternative obsolete germaine
- Related to a topic of discussion or consideration.
1924, W. D. Ross., translator, Aristotle, Metaphysics. Nashotah, Wisconsin, USA: The Classical Library, 2001, Book 1, Part 5. Yet this much is germane to the present inquiry:
3 more examples
Connors was addicted to this racquet and kept using it even after Wilson stopped making it, forfeiting millions in potential endorsement money by doing so. Connors was eccentric (and kind of repulsive) in lots of other ways, too, none of which are germane to this article.
1997, David Foster Wallace, “Tennis Player Michael Joyce’s Professional Artistry as a Paradigm of Certain Stuff About Choice, Freedom, Limitation, Joy, Grotesquerie, and Human Completeness”, in A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, Kindle edition, Little, Brown Book GroupValentine’s Day means different things for different people. [...] Most germane to the episode, for Lisa, Valentine’s Day means being the only person in her entire class to give Ralph a Valentine after noticing him looking crestfallen and alone at his desk.
2012 August 5, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “I Love Lisa” (season 4, episode 15; originally aired 02/11/1993)”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), archived from the original on 23 Oct 2013Partway through our call, Horowitz excuses himself to answer the door for a package. The parcel that arrives is, in fact, germane to our conversation: a copy of Stay Alive: Berlin 1939-1945 by Ian Baruma.
2026 June 21, Annabel Nugent, “The authors who admit to using AI: ‘I have absolutely no shame about it’”, in The IndependentSynonyms: pertinent, relevant, apt, on-topic, applicable, apposite, apt, ad rem
germane2
plural germanes
- countableuncountablechemistrygermanium tetrahydride, GeH₄
- countableespeciallyin compoundsuncountablechemistryAny organic derivative of this compound.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveRelated to a topic of discussion or consideration.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiverelevant and appropriate
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
germane · adjective
A variant form of german (“having the same parents; related”), adapted in this sense in allusions to its use in Shakespeare's Hamlet (see quotations at germaine).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian уместен
- уместен (umesten)related to the topic being discussed
Catalan pertinent, germà
- pertinentrelated to the topic being discussed
- germàgermanium tetrahydride
Chinese Mandarin 有關 /有关, 有關係 /有关系
- 有關 /有关 (yǒuguān)related to the topic being discussed
- 有關係 /有关系 (yǒuguānxi)related to the topic being discussed
- 甲鍺烷 /甲锗烷 (jiǎzhěwán)germanium tetrahydride
Czech k věci, podstatný
- k věcirelated to the topic being discussed
- podstatnýrelated to the topic being discussed
- relevantnírelated to the topic being discussed
- významnýrelated to the topic being discussed
- závažnýrelated to the topic being discussed
Danish relevant, relevante
- relevantrelated to the topic being discussed
- relevanterelated to the topic being discussed
Dutch relevant, ter zake
- relevantrelated to the topic being discussed
- ter zakerelated to the topic being discussed
- van toepassingrelated to the topic being discussed
- germaangermanium tetrahydride
Esperanto tema
- temarelated to the topic being discussed
Estonian kohane, sobiv
- kohanerelated to the topic being discussed
- sobivrelated to the topic being discussed
Finnish asiaankuuluva, relevantti
- asiaankuuluvarelated to the topic being discussed
- relevanttirelated to the topic being discussed
- olennainenrelated to the topic being discussed
- germaniumtetrahydridigermanium tetrahydride
French pertinent, germane
- pertinentrelated to the topic being discussed
- germanegermanium tetrahydride
German relevant, Monogerman
- relevantrelated to the topic being discussed
- Monogermangermanium tetrahydride
Hindi उपयुक्त, संबंधित
- उपयुक्त (upyukt)related to the topic being discussed
- संबंधित (sambandhit)related to the topic being discussed
Irish ábhartha
- ábhartharelated to the topic being discussed
Italian germano
- germanogermanium tetrahydride
Persian مربوط
- مربوط (marbut)related to the topic being discussed
Polish istotny, relewantny
- istotnyrelated to the topic being discussed
- relewantnyrelated to the topic being discussed
Portuguese pertinente, relevante
- pertinenterelated to the topic being discussed
- relevanterelated to the topic being discussed
- germanogermanium tetrahydride
Russian уме́стный, подходя́щий
- уме́стный (uméstnyj)related to the topic being discussed
- подходя́щий (podxodjáščij)related to the topic being discussed
- соотве́тствующий (sootvétstvujuščij)related to the topic being discussed
- релева́нтный (relevántnyj)related to the topic being discussed
- относя́щийся к те́ме (otnosjáščijsja k téme)related to the topic being discussed
- тетрагидри́д герма́ния (tetragidríd germánija)germanium tetrahydride
Slovak súvisiaci, relevantný
- súvisiacirelated to the topic being discussed
- relevantnýrelated to the topic being discussed
Spanish relacionado, germano
- relacionadorelated to the topic being discussed
- germanogermanium tetrahydride
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with germane
Anagrams
Cite this entry
germane. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/germane
“germane.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/germane. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “germane,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/germane.
Source: germane on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.