LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

germānus1

germānus (feminine germāna, neuter germānum, adverb germānē)
Classical[ɡɛrˈmaː.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[d͡ʒerˈmaː.nus]

Meaning

  1. adjectiveof brothers or sisters
  2. adjectivefull, own
  3. adjectivetrue, natural, authentic
  4. adjectivepoeticdenoting intimate friendship

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativegermānusgermānagermānum
genitivegermānīgermānaegermānī
dativegermānōgermānaegermānō
accusativegermānumgermānamgermānum
ablativegermānōgermānāgermānō
vocativegermānegermānagermānum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativegermānīgermānaegermāna
genitivegermānōrumgermānārumgermānōrum
dativegermānīsgermānīsgermānīs
accusativegermānōsgermānāsgermāna
ablativegermānīsgermānīsgermānīs
vocativegermānīgermānaegermāna

germānus, a, um, adj. v. germen, of brothers and sisters who have the same parents, or at least the same father,
I. full, own (very freq. and class.).
I. Lit.
A. Adj.: spes mihi est vos inventuros fratres germanos duos Geminos, una matre natos et patre uno uno die, Plaut. Men. 5, 9, 43: frater, id. Capt. 5, 4, 18; Ter. And. 1, 5, 57; Cic. Font. 17, 36; Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 49, § 128; v. frater; and cf.: L. Cicero frater noster, cognatione patruelis, amore germanus, Cic. Fin. 5, 1, 1: soror germana, Plaut. Aul. 2, 1, 3; id. Truc. 2, 4, 87; Cic. Mil. 27, 73; Nep. Cim. 1: bimembres (i. e. Centauri), Ov. M. 12, 240.—Poet., to denote intimate friendship: soror, of a nurse, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 20, 40 (Ann. v. 42 Vahl.); cf. also absol.: germana, ib. (v. 48 Vahl.).—
B. Subst.: germānus, i, m., and germāna, ae, f., an own or full brother, own or full sister (rare): nunc tu mihi es germanus pariter corpore et animo, Ter. Ad. 5, 8, 34: haec germanus Eryx quondam tuus arma gerebat, Verg. A. 5, 412; Ov. M. 5, 13: germanae justa dat ante suae, id. F. 3, 560; id. M. 6, 613: (Dryades) Omnes germanae Cererem cum vestibus atris Maerentes adeunt, id. ib. 8, 781; Vulg. Gen. 27, 35 al.—Poet., of animals, Att. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 22, 44.—In a pun with Germanus, a German: Cimber hic fuit, a quo fratrem necatum hoc Ciceronis dicto notatum est: Germanum Cimber occidit, Quint. 8, 3, 29; so in plur., Vell. 2, 67 fin.—
II. Transf.
A. Of or belonging to brothers and sisters, brotherly, sisterly (very rare); nunc tu mihi amicus es in germanum modum, Plaut. Cas. 3, 4, 25; so, casus (fratrum), Just. 27, 3 fin.—
B. In gen., genuine, real, actual, true (a favorite expression of Cicero): illi veteres germanique Campani, Cic. Agr. 2, 35, 97: germanos se putant esse Thucydidas, id. Or. 9, 32: magni et germani Attici, id. ib. 26, 90: germani hujus artis magistri, id. de Or. 2, 38, 160; germani Luperci, id. Cael. 11, 26: scio me asinum germanum fuisse, id. Att. 4, 5, 3: di (te) omnes perdant, oboluisti allium, Germana illuvies, rusticus, hircus, hara suis, Plaut. Most. 1, 1, 39: haec est mea et hujus fratris mei germana patria: hinc enim orti stirpe antiquissima sumus, Cic. Leg. 2, 1, 3: ille Theodoromedes fuit germano nomine, Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 38: germana justitia, Cic. Off. 3, 17, 69: haec germana ironia est, id. Brut. 86, 296: gerrae germanae, Plaut. Poen. 1, 1, 9.—Sup.: germanissimus Stoicus, Cic. Ac. 2, 43, 132.—Hence, adv.: germāne, faithfully, truly: germane fraterneque rescribere, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 15, b, 2; August. Civ. Dei, 2, 13.

Origins

From germen (“sprout, bud”), perhaps for *germ(i)nānus. Not to be confused with the unrelated Germānus.

Borrowings
  • Frenchgermainfrom Old French germain
  • Englishgermanefrom Old French germain
  • Englishgermanfrom Old French germain
  • Portuguesegermano
  • Normangèrmainfrom Old French germain
Italo-Romance
  • Italiangermano
noun · masculinesecond declension
germānus2
germānus m (genitive germānī, feminine germāna)
Classical[ɡɛrˈmaː.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[d͡ʒerˈmaː.nus]

Meaning

  1. brother

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativegermānusgermānī
genitivegermānīgermānōrum
dativegermānōgermānīs
accusativegermānumgermānōs
ablativegermānōgermānīs
vocativegermānegermānī

Origins

From germen (“sprout, bud”), perhaps for *germ(i)nānus. Not to be confused with the unrelated Germānus.

Insular Romance
  • Sardiniangermanu
  • Sardinianghermanu
  • Sardiniangrammanu
  • Sardinianzermanu
Borrowings
  • Portuguesegermano
  • Spanishgermán
  • Spanishgermano
Ibero-Romance
  • Portugueseirmãofrom Old Galician-Portuguese irmão
  • Spanishhermanofrom Old Spanish ermano
  • Extremaduranermanu
  • Galicianirmánfrom Old Galician-Portuguese irmão
  • Galicianermaofrom Old Galician-Portuguese irmão
  • Galicianirmaofrom Old Galician-Portuguese irmão
  • Galicianhermaofrom Old Galician-Portuguese irmão
  • Asturianhermanufrom Old Leonese ermano
  • Leonesehermanufrom Old Leonese ermano
  • Mirandesearmanofrom Old Leonese ermano
Gallo-Romance
  • Catalangermà
Italo-Dalmatian
  • Italiangermano
  • Venetanzerman
  • Venetanxerman
  • Venetanđerman
  • Venetandarman
  • Venetangermàn
noun · masculinesecond declension
Germānus3
Germānus m (genitive Germānī)
Classical[ɡɛrˈmaː.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[d͡ʒerˈmaː.nus]

Meaning

  1. a Germanic person (male); member of a Germanic tribe

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeGermānusGermānī
genitiveGermānīGermānōrum
dativeGermānōGermānīs
accusativeGermānumGermānōs
ablativeGermānōGermānīs
vocativeGermāneGermānī

Origins

First used by Caesar and Tacitus to describe tribes as distinct from the Gauls and originally from the east of the Rhine. Of uncertain origin; several conjectures now deemed improbable have been put forward, such as: * being from a Celtic/Gaulish word meaning "neighbor", from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- (“short”) (whence Irish gair (“neighbor”, literally “nearby”)), * or being from a Celtic/Gaulish word meaning "noisy", from Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh₂r- (“to shout”) (whence Proto-Celtic *garman, Latin garriō); compare also Proto-Celtic *garsman which also gave Latin Garmanus; * or being related to Old High German gēr (“spear”). It may have originally been the name of a particular tribe. Note: it is not to be confused with the word germānus (“of brothers or sisters”), which derives from germen (“sprout, bud”) and is thought to be unrelated. More at Germani.

Descendants
  • Catalangermà
  • EnglishGerman
  • Italiangermano
  • Portuguesegermano
  • Romaniangerman
  • Spanishgermano
  • Albaniangjerman
  • DutchGermaan
  • GreekΓερμανός
  • Siciliangirmanu

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

Biography & mythologyGermanusGermanus. 2. The patrician, a nephew of the emperor Justinian I. He was grown up at the time of Justinian's accession (A. D. 527), for soon after that…
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective
Germānus4
Germānus (feminine Germāna, neuter Germānum)
Classical[ɡɛrˈmaː.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[d͡ʒerˈmaː.nus]

Meaning

  1. adjectiveRelating to the native peoples or tribes of ancient Germania
  2. adjectiveGermanic

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeGermānusGermānaGermānum
genitiveGermānīGermānaeGermānī
dativeGermānōGermānaeGermānō
accusativeGermānumGermānamGermānum
ablativeGermānōGermānāGermānō
vocativeGermāneGermānaGermānum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeGermānīGermānaeGermāna
genitiveGermānōrumGermānārumGermānōrum
dativeGermānīsGermānīsGermānīs
accusativeGermānōsGermānāsGermāna
ablativeGermānīsGermānīsGermānīs
vocativeGermānīGermānaeGermāna

Germānus, a, um, v. Germani, II. A.

Origins

First used by Caesar and Tacitus to describe tribes as distinct from the Gauls and originally from the east of the Rhine. Of uncertain origin; several conjectures now deemed improbable have been put forward, such as: * being from a Celtic/Gaulish word meaning "neighbor", from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- (“short”) (whence Irish gair (“neighbor”, literally “nearby”)), * or being from a Celtic/Gaulish word meaning "noisy", from Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh₂r- (“to shout”) (whence Proto-Celtic *garman, Latin garriō); compare also Proto-Celtic *garsman which also gave Latin Garmanus; * or being related to Old High German gēr (“spear”). It may have originally been the name of a particular tribe. Note: it is not to be confused with the word germānus (“of brothers or sisters”), which derives from germen (“sprout, bud”) and is thought to be unrelated. More at Germani.

Quick answers

What does germānus mean in Latin?
germānus, a adjective, means “of brothers or sisters; full, own; true, natural, authentic”.
How do you pronounce germānus?
In classical Latin, [ɡɛrˈmaː.nʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [d͡ʒerˈmaː.nus].