jə(r)ˈmānēəm, ˌjərˈ-, jə̄ˈ-, jəiˈ- noun
( -s )
Etymology: New Latin, from Medieval Latin Germania Germany (from Latin, land inhabited by the Germanic peoples in Roman times) + New Latin -ium
: a grayish white hard brittle metalloid element resembling silicon but with a valence of 2 as well as 4 that occurs combined especially in rare minerals (as germanite and argyrodite), in the ash of some lignites and coals, and in zinc-refinery residues from which it is recovered by conversion to its volatile tetrachloride, and that is used as a semiconductor (as in transistors) — symbol Ge ; see element table