Germanicism
|ger-ma-ni-cism|
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/ˌdʒɝməˈnɪsɪzəm/
🇬🇧
/ˌdʒɜːməˈnɪsɪzəm/
German-derived word/expression or German-like feature
Etymology
'Germanicism' originates from Modern English, formed from the adjective 'German' plus the noun-forming suffix '-ism' (ultimately related to Latin formation patterns).
'Germanicism' developed from earlier scholarly and linguistic terms such as French 'germanisme' and German 'Germanismus', which in turn trace back to Latin 'Germanismus' and the adjective 'Germanus'.
Initially related broadly to things 'of or pertaining to the Germans', the term evolved to refer specifically to words, expressions, or linguistic/cultural features borrowed from German ('a German-derived word or trait').
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a word, phrase, or expression in another language that has been borrowed from German or formed under German influence.
Many linguists point out that 'doppelgänger' is a Germanicism used in English.
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Noun 2
a feature, trait, or characteristic that is typical of the German language or German culture (e.g., syntactic patterns, idioms, stylistic features).
The translator was criticized for several Germanicisms in sentence structure.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/29 02:07