German - Definition and Overview

The word German can mean:

• From or related to Germany or its predecessor states - see also
  • the German language
  • Germanic tribes
  • Holy Roman Empire (843-1806)
  • German Confederation (1815-1866)
  • North German Confederation (1867 - 1871)
  • German Empire (1871-1918)
  • Weimar Republic (1919-1933)
  • Nazi Germany (1933-1945)
  • West Germany (1949-1990), officially Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), German Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD)
  • East Germany (1949-1990), officially German Democratic Republic (GDR), German Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR)
  • Federal Republic of Germany (1990-present), German Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD); Eastern and Western Germany have been united since the German reunification in 1990.
• The German language
• When used to denote a person, Germans can either denote inhabitants of Germany, or ethnic Germans
• The name 'German' is (not precisely) sometimes also used for the various peoples that lived in Germany and other parts of Central Europe during Antiquity or during the period of the Holy Roman Empire. See: Germanic peoples

See also Germain.