Relating to Germany, its people, or its language; or a person from Germany.
From Latin *Germanus* referring to the peoples east of the Rhine, later applied to the modern nation and language. The Romans’ exact reason for the name is unclear; it may come from a local tribal word. Over time, it narrowed to the specific country and culture we know today.
The word ‘German’ once covered a whole cluster of tribes and languages across central Europe, not just today’s nation. Modern German and English are linguistic cousins, which is why so many basic words (Wasser/water, Hand/hand) look and sound familiar.
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