Ger·man·ic
(ˌ)jər-ˈma-nik 
1
: german
2
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the Germanic-speaking peoples
3
: of, relating to, or constituting Germanic
: 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
Marc Malkin, Variety, 15 June 2024
Miller came after earning his doctorate in Germanic languages and literatures at Georgetown.
—Dylan Matthews, Vox, 28 May 2024
Beer steins clutched in the hands of dozens of strangers crowded together at long wooden tables under tree canopies represents the city’s long devotion to the craft of beer brewing and community, and pays tribute to the city’s sturdy Germanic roots.
—Molly Beck, Journal Sentinel, 23 May 2024
The hexagonal tiles evoke a more popular game of exacting Germanic origin, Settlers of Catan.
—Greta Rainbow, Vulture, 13 May 2024
The Nazis celebrated the battle of Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, when Germanic tribes defeated three Roman legions and venerated Frederick the Great.
—Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 29 Mar. 2022
The Goths, a group of Germanic tribes, were famed for being fierce adversaries of the Roman Empire.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
Some say the Easter Bunny first started as Eostre, the Germanic and Saxon goddess of the spring and the dawn.
—Alison Fox, Parents, 22 Mar. 2024
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
Adjective
There was this great waft of camphor, the mothball smell and these strange furs, fox furs and things like this, and peculiar Austrian artifacts, and collars from my grandfather with Germanic names on it.
—Marc Malkin, Variety, 15 June 2024
Miller came after earning his doctorate in Germanic languages and literatures at Georgetown.
—Dylan Matthews, Vox, 28 May 2024
Beer steins clutched in the hands of dozens of strangers crowded together at long wooden tables under tree canopies represents the city’s long devotion to the craft of beer brewing and community, and pays tribute to the city’s sturdy Germanic roots.
—Molly Beck, Journal Sentinel, 23 May 2024
The hexagonal tiles evoke a more popular game of exacting Germanic origin, Settlers of Catan.
—Greta Rainbow, Vulture, 13 May 2024
The Nazis celebrated the battle of Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, when Germanic tribes defeated three Roman legions and venerated Frederick the Great.
—Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 29 Mar. 2022
The Goths, a group of Germanic tribes, were famed for being fierce adversaries of the Roman Empire.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
Some say the Easter Bunny first started as Eostre, the Germanic and Saxon goddess of the spring and the dawn.
—Alison Fox, Parents, 22 Mar. 2024
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
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.
Articles Related to Germanic
Dictionary Entries Near Germanic
Cite this Entry
“Germanic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Germanic. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Germanic
1 of 2 adjective
Ger·man·ic
(ˌ)jər-ˈman-ik
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
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