English
german
German (closely related) comes, uncertainly, from Old French germain, from Latin germānus, from germen ‘seed, sprout’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgermen1‘seed, sprout, bud’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgermānus1‘of brothers or sisters’uncertain
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400germain1uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1485german1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English german
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, xj: “After this Merlyn told vnto kynge Arthur of the…”.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgermenWiktionary, English german‘seed, sprout, bud’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgermānusWiktionary, English german‘of brothers or sisters’uncertain
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400germainWiktionary, English germanuncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1485germanWiktionary, English german. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, xj: “After this Merlyn told vnto kynge Arthur of the…”
The story
Not related to the proper noun German.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce’
kind, king, general, nature, nation, engine, native, generation, pregnant, ken, genuine, genetic, gender, genius, gene, oxygen, indigenous, gentle, genre, hydrogen, naive, genocide, kin, noel, innate, genus, natal, genital, nee, nativity, ingenious, nada, nascent, gentile, puny, janata, cognate, gens, glycogen, jaunty, 108 more
through Latin germen ‘seed, sprout, bud’
Today it means
adj Having the same mother and father; a full (brother or sister).
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “german”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Latin germen / german