proper noun · femininefirst declension
Germānia
Germānia f sg (genitive Germāniae)
Classical[ɡɛrˈmaː.ni.a]Ecclesiastical[d͡ʒerˈmaː.ni.a]
Meaning
- Classical Latinthe lands of the Germani, tribes living around the Rhine River in the 1st century b.c.
- Medieval Latinthe lands of the Germans, sometimes inclusive of conquered areas in France, England, and Eastern Europe
- New LatinHoly Roman Empire (a former country in Central Europe)
- New LatinGerman Empire (a former country in Central Europe)
- New LatinGermany (a country in Central Europe)
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | Germānia | — |
| genitive | Germāniae | — |
| dative | Germāniae | — |
| accusative | Germāniam | — |
| ablative | Germāniā | — |
| vocative | Germānia | — |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- Germania quae or Germaniae ea pars quae, ad orientem, occidentem vergit
- eastern, western Germany.
Origins
From Germānī + -ia. Germani was an exonym applied by the Romans to a tribe (or nearby tribes) living around and east of the Rhine; it was first attested in the 1st century b.c. works of Julius Caesar and is of uncertain etymology. It was said by Strabo to derive from germānus (“close kin; genuine”), making it cognate with "germane" and "german", but this seems unsupported. Attempts to derive it from Germanic or Celtic roots are all problematic (although see Germany).
Descendants
- ItalianGermania
- RomanianGermania
- Middle EnglishGermanie
- IrishGearmáin
- RussianГерма́ния
- SicilianGirmània