German – English noun declension

English noun forms of German

Noun: German
SingularGerman
PluralGermans

Sample Sentences

  • The holiday evolved over centuries as it was observed by different groups, from the Celts to Germans to the Pennsylvania Dutch and eventually, by those in other parts of the US. [2023 February 1, Scottie Andrew, “The bizarre history of Groundhog Day”, in CNN, archived from the original on 18 Jul 2024:]
  • Rome was sacked by Germans and the Western Roman Empire collapsed.
  • […] tie them tightly in a thickly floured cloth, and boil them for three hours and a half. We can recommend this as a remarkably light small rich pudding : it may be served with German, wine, or punch sauce. [1858, Eliza Acton, Modern Cookery in All Its Branches: Reduced to a System of Easy Practice, for the Use of Private Families : in a Series of Receipts, which Have Been Strictly Tested, and are Given with the Most Minute Exactness : to which are Added Directions for Carving, Garnishing, and Setting Out the Table, with a Table of Weights and Measures, page 279:]
  • The wine list harbours some great bottles, mature clarets and Burgundies as well as a clutch of fine Germans (gold-dust these days in restaurants) […] [1996, Jim Ainsworth, Passport's Guide to Britain's Best Restaurants:]
  • In my German, they calling me a baller (skrr)
  • Got me feeling like Özil [2021 May 21, “Plugged In Freestyle”, Big Tobz in Big Tobz & Blittz (lyrics), Fumez The Engineer (music), 0:13–0:16:]
  • There are some 32 different terms for prison officers, from the humorously affectionate kanga(rhyming slang:kangaroo = screw) and the variants Scooby-Doo and Dr. Who via the mildly confrontational German (as if still the enemy over 50 years after World War II!) to the outright abuse of shit-parcel. [1996, Angela Devlin, Prison Patter, Waterside Press, →ISBN:]

Etymology

1. From Latin Germānus, Germānī (“the peoples of Germānia”), as distinct from Gauls (in the writings of Caesar and Tacitus), and of uncertain ultimate origin (possibly Celtic/Gaulish).
2. Not related to german (“closely related”) or germane (from the Latin adjective germānus, through Old French).
3. Attested since at least 1520. Replaced the older terms Almain and Dutch (from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz) in English. Besides cognates of German, Almain, and Dutch, two other categories of words for the Germans in other languages are cognates of Saxon and descendants of Proto-Slavic *němьcь; see those entries for more.
4. The surname is generally from the noun, though sometimes confused with Herman, Hermann under Russian influence. As a German surname, Americanized from Germann. Compare Germán, Germain, Jerman. See: Latin Nouns 'Germānus'.