Germans

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  German \Ger"man\, n.; pl. {Germans}[L. Germanus, prob. of Celtis
     origin.]
     1. A native or one of the people of Germany.
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     2. The German language.


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     3.
        (a) A round dance, often with a waltz movement, abounding
            in capriciosly involved figures.
        (b) A social party at which the german is danced.
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     {High German}, the Teutonic dialect of Upper or Southern
        Germany, -- comprising Old High German, used from the 8th
        to the 11th century; Middle H. G., from the 12th to the
        15th century; and Modern or New H. G., the language of
        Luther's Bible version and of modern German literature.
        The dialects of Central Germany, the basis of the modern
        literary language, are often called Middle German, and the
        Southern German dialects Upper German; but High German is
        also used to cover both groups.
  
     {Low German}, the language of Northern Germany and the
        Netherlands, -- including {Friesic}; {Anglo-Saxon} or
        {Saxon}; {Old Saxon}; {Dutch} or {Low Dutch}, with its
        dialect, {Flemish}; and {Plattdeutsch} (called also {Low
        German}), spoken in many dialects.
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