ENGLISH
REFERENCE

germanic

adj.
C1 Advanced US //dʒɝˈmænɪk// UK //dʒɜːmˈænɪk// ger·man·ic

adj. relating to the group of languages that includes English, German, and Dutch, or to the people who originally spoke them.

adj. relating to the branch of the Indo-European language family that includes English, German, Dutch, and Scandinavian languages, or to the ancient tribes of northern Europe.


SIMPLE

English is a Germanic language.

CONTEXTUAL

Scholars study ancient Germanic tribes to understand the early history of northern and central Europe.

COMPLEX

The shift from synthetic to more analytic structures is a notable feature in the historical development of several Germanic languages over the last millennium.

Synonyms
Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin germānicus, equivalent to German + -ic.

Usage

Typically used attributively before a noun; when referring to the language family or historical tribes, it is always capitalised.

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