Adjacent Words

German definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GER'MAN, a. [L. germanus, a brother.]
1. Cousins german, are the sons or daughters of brothers or sisters; first cousins.
2. Related.
GER'MAN, a. Belonging to Germany.
GER'MAN, n. A native of Germany; and by ellipsis, the German language.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: of or pertaining to or characteristic of Germany or its people or language; "German philosophers"; "German universities"; "German literature" n
1: a person of German nationality
2: the standard German language; developed historically from West Germanic [syn: German, High German, German language]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin Germanus, from Latin Date: 14th century 1. a member of any of the Germanic peoples inhabiting western Europe in Roman times 2. a. a native or inhabitant of Germany b. a person of German descent c. one whose native language is German and who is a native of a country other than Germany 3. a. the Germanic language spoken mainly in Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland b. the literary and official language of Germany 4. often not capitalized a. a dance consisting of intricate figures that are improvised and intermingled with waltzes b. chiefly Midland a dancing party; specifically one at which the german is danced II. adjective Date: 15th century of, relating to, or characteristic of Germany, the Germans, or German

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English germain, from Anglo-French, from Latin germanus having the same parents, from germen Date: 14th century having the same parents or the same grandparents on either the maternal or paternal side — usually used after the noun which it modifies and joined to it by a hyphen <brother-german> <cousin-german> II. noun Date: 15th century obsolete a near relative

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & adj. --n. 1 a native or national of Germany; a person of German descent. 2 the language of Germany, also used in Austria and Switzerland. --adj. of or relating to Germany or its people or language. Phrases and idioms: German measles a contagious disease, rubella, with symptoms like mild measles. German shepherd (or shepherd dog) an Alsatian. German silver a white alloy of nickel, zinc, and copper. High German a literary and cultured form of German. Low German German dialects other than High German. Etymology: L Germanus with ref. to related peoples of Central and N. Europe, a name perh. given by Celts to their neighbours: cf. OIr. gair neighbour

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. (placed after brother, sister, or cousin) 1 having both parents the same (brother german). 2 having both grandparents the same on one side (cousin german). 3 archaic germane. Etymology: ME f. OF germain f. L germanus genuine, of the same parents

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Umber Um"ber, n. [F. ombre ocherous ore of iron, terre d'ombre, It. terra d'ombra, literally, earth of shadow or shade, L. umbra shadow, shade. Cf. Umber, 3 & 4, Umbrage.] 1. (Paint.) A brown or reddish pigment used in both oil and water colors, obtained from certain natural clays variously colored by the oxides of iron and manganese. It is commonly heated or burned before being used, and is then called burnt umber; when not heated, it is called raw umber. See Burnt umber, below. 2. An umbrere. [Obs.] 3. [F. ombre, umbre, L. umbra.] (Zo["o]l.) See Grayling, 1. 4. [Cf. NL. scopus umbretta, F. ombrette; probably fr. L. umbra shade, in allusion to its dark brown color. See Umber a pigment.] (Zo["o]l.) An African wading bird (Scopus umbretta) allied to the storks and herons. It is dull dusky brown, and has a large occipital crest. Called also umbrette, umbre, and umber bird. Burnt umber (Paint.), a pigment made by burning raw umber, which is changed by this process from an olive brown to a bright reddish brown. Cologne, or German, umber, a brown pigment obtained from lignite. See Cologne earth.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

German Ger"man, a. [L. Germanus. See German, n.] Of or pertaining to Germany. German Baptists. See Dunker. German bit, a wood-boring tool, having a long elliptical pod and a scew point. German carp (Zo["o]l.), the crucian carp. German millet (Bot.), a kind of millet (Setaria Italica, var.), whose seed is sometimes used for food. German paste, a prepared food for caged birds. German process (Metal.), the process of reducing copper ore in a blast furnace, after roasting, if necessary. --Raymond. German sarsaparilla, a substitute for sarsaparilla extract. German sausage, a polony, or gut stuffed with meat partly cooked. German silver (Chem.), a silver-white alloy, hard and tough, but malleable and ductile, and quite permanent in the air. It contains nickel, copper, and zinc in varying proportions, and was originally made from old copper slag at Henneberg. A small amount of iron is sometimes added to make it whiter and harder. It is essentially identical with the Chinese alloy packfong. It was formerly much used for tableware, knife handles, frames, cases, bearings of machinery, etc., but is now largely superseded by other white alloys. German steel (Metal.), a metal made from bog iron ore in a forge, with charcoal for fuel. German text (Typog.), a character resembling modern German type, used in English printing for ornamental headings, etc., as in the words, Note: This line is German Text. German tinder. See Amadou.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

German Ger"man, a. [OE. german, germain, F. germain, fr. L. germanus full, own (said of brothers and sisters who have the same parents); akin to germen germ. Cf. Germ, Germane.] Nearly related; closely akin. Wert thou a leopard, thou wert german to the lion. --Shak. Brother german. See Brother german. Cousins german. See the Note under Cousin.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

German Ger"man, n.; pl. Germans[L. Germanus, prob. of Celtis origin.] 1. A native or one of the people of Germany. 2. The German language. 3. (a) A round dance, often with a waltz movement, abounding in capriciosly involved figures. (b) A social party at which the german is danced. High German, the Teutonic dialect of Upper or Southern Germany, -- comprising Old High German, used from the 8th to the 11th century; Middle H. G., from the 12th to the 15th century; and Modern or New H. G., the language of Luther's Bible version and of modern German literature. The dialects of Central Germany, the basis of the modern literary language, are often called Middle German, and the Southern German dialects Upper German; but High German is also used to cover both groups. Low German, the language of Northern Germany and the Netherlands, -- including Friesic; Anglo-Saxon or Saxon; Old Saxon; Dutch or Low Dutch, with its dialect, Flemish; and Plattdeutsch (called also Low German), spoken in many dialects.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(Germans) 1. German means belonging or relating to Germany. ADJ • A German is a person who comes from Germany. N-COUNT 2. German is the language used in Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland. I heard a very angry man talking in German.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Born of the same father and mother, full. 2. Born of brothers or sisters or of brothers and sisters. 3. Cognate, pertinent, relevant. See germane. 4. Of Germany, belonging to or characteristic of Germans or Germany.

Foolish Dictionary

More animal life, living on beer. (See GERM)