Germanic

 
Pronunciation: /dʒəːˈmanɪk/

adjective

  • 1relating to or denoting the branch of the Indo-European language family that includes English, German, Dutch, Frisian, and the Scandinavian languages.
  • relating to or denoting the peoples of ancient northern and western Europe speaking Germanic languages.
  • 2having characteristics of or attributed to Germans or Germany: she had an almost Germanic regard for order

noun

[mass noun]
  • the Germanic languages collectively. See also East Germanic, North Germanic, West Germanic.
  • the unrecorded ancient language from which the Germanic languages developed, thought to have been spoken on the shores of the Baltic Sea in the 3rd millennium bc. Also called Proto-Germanic.

Origin:

mid 17th century: from Latin Germanicus, from Germanus (see German)