germane

See also Germane

English

WOTD – 15 April 2007    

Wikipedia

Etymology

Variant form of german, adapted in this sense in allusions to its use in Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /dʒɜː(ɹ)ˈmeɪn/, X-SAMPA: /dz3:(r)"meIn/
• Rhymes: -eɪn
• (US) IPA: /dʒɝˈmeɪn/, X-SAMPA: /dz3`"meIn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪn

Adjective

germane (comparative more germane, superlative most germane)

1. Related to the topic being discussed or considered.
   • 2012 August 5, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “I Love Lisa” (season 4, episode 15; originally aired 02/11/1993)”:

     Valentine’s Day means different things for different people. For Homer, it means forking over a hundred dollars for a dusty box of chocolates at the Kwik-E-Mart after characteristically forgetting the holiday yet again. For Ned, it’s another opportunity to prove his love for his wife. Most germane to the episode, for Lisa, Valentine’s Day means being the only person in her entire class to give Ralph a Valentine after noticing him looking crestfallen and alone at his desk.

   • 1924, Aristotle, Metaphysics. Translated by W. D. Ross. Nashotah, Wisconsin, USA: The Classical Library, 2001, Book 1, Part 5.

     Yet this much is germane to the present inquiry:

Related terms

• germanely
• germaneness

Synonyms

• pertinent, relevant, on-topic, apt

Translations

related to the topic being discussed

• Dutch: relevant (nl), ter zake (nl), van toepassing (nl)
• Estonian: kohane, sobiv
• Finnish: asiaankuuluva (fi), relevantti (fi), olennainen (fi)
• German: relevant (de)

• Polish: istotny (pl)
• Russian: относящийся к теме (ru) (otnosjaščijsja k teme)
• Serbo-Croatian: relevantan (sh)
• Spanish: relacionado (es), relacionada (es)

Noun

germane (plural germanes)

1. (inorganic chemistry) germanium tetrahydride, GeH₄
2. (organic chemistry, especially in combination) Any organic derivative of this compound.

Synonyms

• germanium tetrahydride
• germanomethane
• monogermane

Translations

germanium tetrahydride

• Catalan: germà (ca) m
• Dutch: germaan (nl) n

• Finnish: germaniumtetrahydridi (fi)

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Esperanto

Adverb

germane

1. in the German language
2. in the matter of a German

Related terms

• germana (“German”)
• Germanio (“Germany”)
• germano (“a German”)

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Latin

Etymology

From germānus (“real, sincere”).

Pronunciation 1

• (Classical) IPA: /ɡerˈmaː.ne/

Adjective

germāne

1. masculine vocative singular of germānus

Pronunciation 2

• (Classical) IPA: /ɡerˈmaː.neː/

Adverb

germānē (comparative germānius, superlative germānissimē)

1. sincerely