/ dʒɜːˈmeɪn; NAmE dʒɜːrˈm-/ adjective
[ not usually before noun ] germane (to sth) ( formal ) ( of ideas, remarks, etc. ) connected with sth in an important or appropriate way
SYN relevant :
remarks that are germane to the discussion
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent.: variant of german , with which it was synonymous from Middle English . The current sense has arisen from a usage in Shakespeare's Hamlet .