Other forms: germans
German is the language of Germany, Austria and much of Switzerland, and the adjective for Germany and its people. Speak German, a German car, she is German.
It always takes a capital letter. The language has three genders, four cases and a habit of building very long compound nouns, all of which English learners of it complain about; German speakers learning English complain instead about the spelling and the phrasal verbs. Note German measles, an old name for rubella, and that germane, meaning relevant, is a completely unrelated word despite looking like it belongs.
1nounlanguageThe language of Germany and Austria.
“He learned German at school and forgot the cases.”
2adjectivegermanBelonging to Germany or its people.
“It is a German company with factories everywhere.”
3noungermanySomebody from Germany.
“Two Germans were staying in the next room.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
german is a language or nationality.
Latin Germanus was the Roman name for the peoples across the Rhine, and its origin is unknown — possibly Celtic. The Germans call themselves Deutsch and their country Deutschland, so almost every name English uses for them comes from somewhere other than themselves.
Latin
germānus
Old French
germain
English, today
german
Built from
From Old French germain, from Latin germānus, from germen (“seed, sprout, bud”). See also germane, a formal variant which has survived in specific senses. Not related to the proper noun German.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA