germanic
/dʒɜːˈmænɪk/ (bre, ipa) · /dʒɜːrˈmænɪk/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)jər-ˈma-nik/ (ame, mw)
germanic — adjective
- germanicpositive
- more germaniccomparative
- most germanicsuperlative
1. linked to the family of languages that English, German, Dutch, and Swedish all c
linked to the family of languages that English, German, Dutch, and Swedish all come from
Paloma's linguistics class covered the Germanic roots of common English verbs.
attributive: Germanic + noun
The map showed how Germanic languages spread from northern Europe across centuries.
collocation: Germanic languages
Many short, everyday English words have a Germanic origin rather than a Latin one.
Dutch and Frisian are Germanic languages closely related to English.
Linh wrote her essay on how Germanic vocabulary forms the everyday core of English.
- Teutonic
older literary label for the same language family; now mostly historical
- Romance
the language family from Latin (French, Spanish, Italian) — the usual contrast
文法句型
Germanic + language(s)
用法筆記
Almost always attributive (before a noun like 'language', 'root', 'origin', 'vocabulary'); rarely used after 'be'. Distinguish from sense 2 (about peoples) and sense 3 (about modern Germany).
常見錯誤
2. connected with the tribes who lived in northern Europe from ancient times into t
connected with the tribes who lived in northern Europe from ancient times into the early Middle Ages
Kenji visited a museum showing weapons used by early Germanic warriors.
attributive: Germanic + warriors/tribes
Roman writers described the Germanic tribes living east of the Rhine.
collocation: Germanic tribes
Many English place names come from Germanic settlers who arrived after the Romans left.
The exhibition traced how Germanic peoples shaped early medieval Europe.
- Teutonic
older term for the same ancient tribes; literary or historical register
文法句型
Germanic + people/tribe/warrior
用法筆記
Refers to historical peoples (tribes, warriors, settlers), not modern German citizens — that is sense 3. Often paired with 'tribes', 'peoples', 'warriors', 'settlers'.
常見錯誤
3. showing qualities popularly associated with German people or culture, such as or
showing qualities popularly associated with German people or culture, such as order, precision, or a heavy seriousness
Eshe found the engineering of the car impressively Germanic in its precision.
predicative: be Germanic in its X
The film's slow, heavy mood felt distinctly Germanic to the critics.
collocation: distinctly Germanic
Tariq admired the Germanic discipline of the orchestra's rehearsals.
There is something very Germanic about the way the bakery runs on time.
- Teutonic
near-synonym carrying the same stereotype, sometimes more dramatic or literary
文法句型
Germanic + noun
be Germanic
用法筆記
Used as a stereotype — often positive (order, precision) but can carry a heavy or stern feeling. Distinguish from sense 2 (ancient tribes) by context: modern things and traits → sense 3; historical people → sense 2.
常見錯誤
germanic — noun
1. the branch of Indo-European covering English, German, Dutch, the Nordic tongues
the branch of Indo-European covering English, German, Dutch, the Nordic tongues like Swedish and Norwegian, Frisian, Afrikaans, and the extinct Gothic
Ilan's textbook traces how English split off from West Germanic over many centuries.
collocation: West/North/East Germanic
Old Norse belongs to the North Germanic side of the family.
collocation: North Germanic
Linguists reconstruct Proto-Germanic from the patterns shared by its descendant tongues.
Gothic is the only well-recorded language from East Germanic.
- Romance
the parallel branch descending from Latin
文法句型
a branch of Germanic
from Germanic
用法筆記
Used as a technical noun in linguistics, almost always capitalised and usually preceded by a direction word (West, North, East) or the prefix 'Proto-'. Uncountable in this sense.