Germany
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈd͡ʒɜː.mə.ni/
ipa: /ˈd͡ʒɝ.mə.ni/
Forms: form: Germanys
form: Germanies
Etymology: From Middle English Germanie, from Old English Germanie & Germania, from Latin Germānia (“land of the Germans”), from Germānī, a people living around and east of the Rhine first attested in the 1st century B.C.E. works of Julius Caesar and of uncertain etymology. The exonym was said by Strabo to derive from germānus (“close kin; genuine”), making it cognate with germane and german, but this seems unsupported. Attempts to derive it from Germanic or Celtic roots since the 18th century are all problematic, although it is perhaps cognate with the Old Irish gair (“neighbour”). Doublet of Germania.
In reference to a medieval kingdom, English Germany is usually an anachronism using the Roman name to describe the area or calquing various Latin terms like rex Teutonicorum ("king of the Teutons"), which were often derogatory exonyms rather than formal titles.
Senses: examples: text: Ancient Germany, excluding from its independent limits the province weſtward of the Rhine, which had ſubmitted to the Roman yoke, extended itſelf over a third part of Europe. Almoſt the whole of modern Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Livonia, Pruſſia, and the greater part of Poland, were peopled by the various tribes of one great nation, whoſe complexion, manners, and language, denoted a common origin and preſerved a ſtriking reſemblance.
ref: 1776, Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, volume I, page 218:
text: While the Germans of Gaul, Italy, and Spain became Romans, the Saxons retained their language, their genius, and manners, and created in Britain a Germany outside of Germany.
ref: 1872, John Fiske, editor, History of English Literature, abridgment of Henri van Laun's translation of Hippolyte Taine's Histoire de la littérature anglaise (1864), page 26:
text: There have been in Germany, as in all other nations, eulogists of aggression, war, and conquest. But there have been other Germans too. The greatest are not to be found in the ranks of those glorifying tyranny and German world hegemony. Are Heinrich von Kleist, Richard Wagner, and Detlev von Liliencron more representative of the national character than Kant, Goethe, Schiller, Mozart, and Beethoven? The idea of a nation's character is obviously arbitrary. It is derived from a judgment which omits all unpleasant facts contradicting the preconceived dogma.
ref: 1944, Ludwig von Mises, Omnipotent Government, page 265:
glosses: A nation or civilization occupying the country around the Rhine, Elbe, and upper Danube Rivers in Central Europe, taken as a whole under its various governments.
glosses: A nation or civilization occupying the country around the Rhine, Elbe, and upper Danube Rivers in Central Europe, taken as a whole under its various governments.
The German Sprachraum; the countries and territories within Europe where German is or was the primary language.
examples: text: There had been a long bloody war in the empire of Germany for twelve years, between the Emperor, the Duke of Bavaria, the King of Spain, and the Popiſh Princes and Electors, on the one side; and the Proteſtant Princes on the other; and both ſides having been exhauſted by the war, and even the Catholicks themſelves beginning to diſlike the growing power of the houſe of Auſtria, it was thought that all parties were willing to make peace.
ref: 1759, A Military History of Germany; and of England. From the Year 1631 to the Year 1648. Being the Memoirs of an English Gentleman, who served in the army of Gustavus Adolphus; and afterwards in the Royal Army of King Charles I (1759), page 33:
text: I had frequently been told, that the Bohemians were the moſt muſical people of Germany, or, perhaps, of all Europe...
ref: 1775, Charles Burney, The Present State of Music in Germany, the Netherlands, and United Provinces, volume II, page 3:
text: When the race of Charlemagne ceaſed to govern in Germany, the princes and ſtates aſſociated to continue the empire; and that its majeſty might be viſible, and its laws enforced, they agreed to chooſe an emperor. From this emperor, all electors and princes, except thoſe before 1582, receive inveſtiture of their dominions; counts and free cities from the Aulic council. But this inveſtiture is no more than a ſign of ſubmiſſion to the majeſty of the empire, which is depoſited in the emperor. For as the conſtituted members of the empire are dependent on that collective union from which they derive protection, they therefore ſhew this dependence on the emperor, becauſe he repreſents the majeſty of that union, or of the empire; but in all other reſpects they are independent and free.
ref: 1790, Thomas B. Clarke, A Statistical View of Germany, in respect to the Imperial and Territorial Constitutions, Forms of Government, Legislation, Administration of Justice, and Ecclesiastical State, page 13:
text: There are few cities in Germany beſides Vienna which contain ſo rich and numerous a nobility as this does: there are fome houſes here which have eſtates of 100,000 guilders, or 10,000l. a-year.
ref: 1797, Colin MacFarquhar, George Gleig, editors, Encyclopædia Britannica, 3rd edition, A. Bell & C. MacFarquhar, "Mentz", page 396:
glosses: The principal state in this country, including
A nominal medieval kingdom forming part of the Carolingian and Holy Roman Empires; (metonymic, now uncommon) the Holy Roman Empire in its entirety; (metonymic, obsolete) the Austrian Habsburg empire in its entirety.
glosses: The principal state in this country, including
An empire formed by Prussia in 1871 with its capital at Berlin.
examples: text: Severing's belief that trade union workers were the most progressive and democratic element in Germany holds up well under investigation.
ref: 1996, Paul Bookbinder, Weimar Germany: The Republic of the Reasonable, →ISBN, page 90:
glosses: The principal state in this country, including
A republic formed in 1918 with its capital at Berlin, inclusive of the Nazi regime who controlled it after 1933.
glosses: The principal state in this country, including
The socialist republic formed in 1949 with its capital at Berlin, more often known in English as East Germany.
examples: text: The win made Germany the first European team to prevail in a World Cup in the Americas and gave the Germans, who have made it to the knockout stage in 16 consecutive World Cups, their first trophy since 1990.
ref: 2014 July 13, Sam Borden, “Germans End Long Wait: 24 Years and a Bit Extra”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 13 Jul 2014:
text: Germans save a lot, produce plenty and spend little. The result is a massive external surplus. Last year, Germany’s current account surplus stood at almost €200 billion ($260 billion), the world's largest.
ref: 2014 September 25, Michael Heise, “The Myth of the Stupid German Investor”, in The Wall Street Journal, archived from the original on 07 Jan 2015:
text: Germany can’t afford to stick to the stately plod into decline that Merkel initiated any longer. Merz will have to act fast, and break things to pull the country out of the quagmire it finds itself in.
ref: 2025 February 23, Lisa Haseldine, “Whatever happens next, Merkelism is finished”, in The Telegraph, archived from the original on 23 Feb 2025:
glosses: The principal state in this country, including
A country in Central Europe, formed in 1949 as West Germany, with its provisional capital Bonn until 1990, when it incorporated East Germany. Official name: Federal Republic of Germany. Capital and largest city: Berlin.
examples: text: The differences between England and the Germanies sprang from the absence or presence of ministerial interventions.
ref: 2007, William Clark, Academic Charisma and the Origins of the Research University, →ISBN, page 84:
text: In a Renault 14, they drove from one Germany to the other.
ref: 2010, Ilan Stavans, Gabriel García Márquez: The Early Years, →ISBN:
text: It is the fall of 1989, and two time zones farther to the west, thousands of people march through downtown Leipzig every Monday, while more than 6,000 East German citizens are camped out in the embassies of West Germany in Prague and Warsaw, hoping to be allowed to emigrate. The images have circled the globe, and it is clear to leaders Thatcher and Gorbachev that the two Germanys are on the verge of radical change.
ref: 2010 September 29, Klaus Wiegrefe, “Germany's Unlikely Diplomatic Triumph: An Inside Look at the Reunification Negotiations”, in Spiegel Online, archived from the original on 27 Jun 2012:
glosses: The various states in this country either over time or during periods of disunity and division, sometimes (inexact) inclusive of the Holy Roman Empire and Austria-Hungary's other holdings.
glosses: A male given name.
glosses: A surname.
glosses: A township in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States.
glosses: An unincorporated community in Clark County, Indiana, United States.
glosses: An unincorporated community in Houston County, Texas, United States.
Synonyms: sense: all
word: Deutschland
sense: all
word: German Reich
sense: all
word: Germania
sense: all
word: Dutchland
sense: all
word: Germanland
sense: all
word: Alemania
topics: state
alt: FRG, BRD
word: Federal Republic of Germany
topics: state
word: German Republic
sense: See West Germany and East Germany
word: 1949–1990
sense: Nazi Germany, Third Reich, Fascist Germany
word: 1933–1945
word: Weimar Republic
word: Weimar Germany
word: German Republic
sense: German Empire, Second Reich
word: 1871–1918
sense: early 19th century
word: North German Confederation
sense: early 19th century
word: German Confederation
sense: early 19th century
word: Confederation of the Rhine
sense: earlier
word: Holy Roman Empire
sense: earlier
word: First Reich
sense: earlier
word: East Francia
sense: earlier
word: Austria
word: Germany
word: FRG
word: BRD
word: West Germany
word: East Germany
word: Nazi Germany
word: Third Reich
word: Fascist Germany
word: German Empire
word: Second Reich
Hypernyms: word: Central Europe
word: European Union
word: Europe
word: Eurasia
word: Afro-Eurasia
word: Earth
word: country
Hyponyms: topics: states
region
location
word: Baden-Württemberg
topics: states
region
location
word: Bavaria
topics: states
region
location
word: Berlin
topics: states
region
location
word: Brandenburg
topics: states
region
location
word: Bremen
topics: states
region
location
word: Hamburg
topics: states
region
location
word: Hesse
topics: states
region
location
word: Lower Saxony
topics: states
region
location
word: North Rhine-Westphalia
topics: states
region
location
word: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
topics: states
region
location
word: Rhineland-Palatinate
topics: states
region
location
word: Saarland
topics: states
region
location
word: Saxony
topics: states
region
location
word: Saxony-Anhalt
topics: states
region
location
word: Schleswig-Holstein
topics: states
region
location
word: Thuringia
sense: historic divisions
word: Adriatic Littoral
sense: historic divisions
word: Alpine Foothills
sense: historic divisions
word: Alsace
sense: historic divisions
word: Alsace-Lorraine
sense: historic divisions
word: Anhalt
sense: historic divisions
word: Anhalt-Dessau
sense: historic divisions
word: Anhalt-Bernburg
sense: historic divisions
word: Anhalt-Köthen
sense: historic divisions
word: Austria
sense: historic divisions
word: Baden
sense: historic divisions
word: Bayreuth
sense: historic divisions
word: Bohemia
sense: historic divisions
word: Brunswick
sense: historic divisions
word: Carinthia
sense: historic divisions
word: Cisleithania
sense: historic divisions
word: Cologne-Aachen
sense: historic divisions
word: Danzig
sense: historic divisions
word: Düsseldorf
sense: historic divisions
word: East Prussia
sense: historic divisions
word: East Hanover
sense: historic divisions
word: Electoral Hesse
sense: historic divisions
word: Essen
sense: historic divisions
word: Franconia
sense: historic divisions
word: Frankfurt
sense: historic divisions
word: Galicia
sense: historic divisions
word: General Government
sense: historic divisions
word: Greater Berlin
sense: historic divisions
word: Halle-Merseburg
sense: historic divisions
word: Hesse-Darmstadt
sense: historic divisions
word: Hesse-Homburg
sense: historic divisions
word: Hesse-Kassel
sense: historic divisions
word: Hesse-Nassau
sense: historic divisions
word: Hohenzollern-Hechingen
sense: historic divisions
word: Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
sense: historic divisions
word: Koblenz-Trier
sense: historic divisions
word: Krakow
sense: historic divisions
word: Liechtenstein
sense: historic divisions
word: Limburg
sense: historic divisions
word: Lippe
sense: historic divisions
word: Lorraine
sense: historic divisions
word: Lower Danube
sense: historic divisions
word: Lower Silesia
sense: historic divisions
word: Lübeck
sense: historic divisions
word: Lublin
sense: historic divisions
word: Luxembourg
sense: historic divisions
word: Magdeburg-Anhalt
sense: historic divisions
word: Main-Franconia
sense: historic divisions
word: Mecklenburg
sense: historic divisions
word: Mecklenburg-Strelitz
sense: historic divisions
word: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
sense: historic divisions
word: Moravia
sense: historic divisions
word: Munich-Upper Bavaria
sense: historic divisions
word: Nassau
sense: historic divisions
word: Oldenburg
sense: historic divisions
word: Palatinate
sense: historic divisions
word: Pomerania
sense: historic divisions
word: Prussia
sense: historic divisions
word: Radom
sense: historic divisions
word: Reuss-Gera
sense: historic divisions
word: Reuss-Greiz
sense: historic divisions
word: Rhineland
sense: historic divisions
word: Saar-Palatinate
sense: historic divisions
word: Salzburg
sense: historic divisions
word: Saxe-Altenburg
sense: historic divisions
word: Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
sense: historic divisions
word: Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
sense: historic divisions
word: Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
sense: historic divisions
word: Saxe-Hildburghausen
sense: historic divisions
word: Saxe-Lauenburg
sense: historic divisions
word: Saxe-Meiningen
sense: historic divisions
word: Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
sense: historic divisions
word: Schaumburg-Lippe
sense: historic divisions
word: Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
sense: historic divisions
word: Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
sense: historic divisions
word: Silesia
sense: historic divisions
word: South Hanover-Brunswick
sense: historic divisions
word: Styria
sense: historic divisions
word: Sudetenland
sense: historic divisions
word: Swabia
sense: historic divisions
word: Tyrol-Vorarlberg
sense: historic divisions
word: Upper Danube
sense: historic divisions
word: Upper Hesse
sense: historic divisions
word: Upper Silesia
sense: historic divisions
word: Vienna
sense: historic divisions
word: Waldeck and Pyrmont
sense: historic divisions
word: Warsaw
sense: historic divisions
word: Weser-Ems
sense: historic divisions
word: West Berlin
sense: historic divisions
word: Westphalia
sense: historic divisions
word: Westphalia-North
sense: historic divisions
word: Westphalia-South
sense: historic divisions
word: West Prussia
sense: historic divisions
word: Württemberg
sense: historic divisions
word: Württemberg-Hohenzollern
sense: historic divisions
word: West Pomerania
Meronyms: word: Baden-Württemberg
word: Bavaria
word: Berlin
word: Brandenburg
word: Bremen
word: Hamburg
word: Hesse
word: Lower Saxony
word: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
word: North Rhine-Westphalia
word: Rhineland-Palatinate
word: Saarland
word: Saxony
word: Saxony-Anhalt
word: Schleswig-Holstein
word: Thuringia
word: Munich
word: Cologne
word: Frankfurt am Main
word: Stuttgart
word: Düsseldorf
word: Dortmund
word: Essen
word: Leipzig
word: Dresden
word: Hanover
word: Nuremberg
word: Duisburg
word: Bochum
word: Wuppertal
word: Bielefeld
word: Bonn
word: Münster
word: Oder
word: Danube
word: Inn
word: Isar
word: Lech
word: Rhine
word: Moselle
word: Main
word: Neckar
word: Weser
word: Elbe
word: Havel
word: Saale
word: Zugspitze
word: Schneefernerkopf
word: Middle Wetterspitze
word: Hochwanner
word: Middle Höllentalspitze
word: Inner Höllentalspitze
word: Outer Höllentalspitze
word: Watzmann Middle Peak
word: Watzmann South Peak
word: Hochblassen
word: Wetterwandeck
word: Leutascher Dreitorspitze
word: Eastern Plattspitze
word: Hinterreintalschrofen
word: Hochfrottspitze
word: Mädelegabel
word: Partenkirchner Dreitorspitze
word: Alpspitze
word: Vollkarspitze
word: Bockkarkopf
Derived terms: Central Germany
East Germany
Fascist Germany
Federal Republic of Germany
High Germany
Low Germany
made in Germany
Nazi Germany
Weimar Germany
West Germany
Related terms: word: German
word: Germanic
word: Germano-
word: Deutsch
word: Diets
word: Dietsch
word: Duits
word: Dutch
english: kin, full-blood
translation: kin, full-blood
word: german
word: Goth
word: Hun
word: Saxon
word: Teuton
word: Teutonic
word: Vandal
word: :Category:en:States of Germany
word: :Category:en:Cities in Germany
word: :Category:en:Rivers in Germany
word: :Category:en:Mountains