adj. & n.
--adj.
1. having German characteristics.
2 hist. of the Germans.
3 of the Scandinavians, Anglo-Saxons, or Germans.
4 of the languages or language group called Germanic.
--n.
1. the branch of Indo-European languages including English, German, Dutch, and the Scandinavian languages.
2 the (unrecorded) early language from which other Germanic languages developed.
Phrases and idioms:
East Germanic an extinct group including Gothic. North Germanic the Scandinavian languages. West Germanic a group including High and Low German, English, Frisian, and Dutch.
Etymology: L Germanicus (as GERMAN)