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germain

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Etymology and origin of the French word germain

germain1 full (brother, sister); first (cousin)

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1165 Benoît de Sainte-Maure, Roman de Troie
Borrowed from
Latin germanus
Ultimate origin
Latin germen
Etymology tree of germain1
inherited borrowed derived
Latin germen
Italian germe
Latin germānus
Spanish hermano
French germain
From the same root · germain1
English germ ← germen
Latin germinō ← germen
English germane ← germānus

Pronunciation

  • /ʒɛʁ.mɛ̃/[1]

Forms

germain (feminine germaine, masculine plural germains, feminine plural germaines)[1] Anglo-Norman germain, germayn and germein.[2]

Etymology

The word for full brothers and sisters and first cousins is borrowed from Latin germānus (“natural, of the same parents”), from germen (“offspring”), properly “of the same blood”.[3][4][5][6] The Latin word was inherited as Spanish hermano and Portuguese irmão “brother”.[4][7]

Cognate with Catalan germà and Italian germano.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Benoît de Sainte-Maure's Roman de Troie (about 1165) uses it of children born of the same father and mother, and also in germains cosins “first cousins”.[3]

Semantic evolution

For a long time germain meant a brother or sister of the same parents, as an adjective and also as a noun (1646); it is now only a legal term, opposed to utérin and consanguin.[4][7] In everyday French it lives on with cousin, in cousins germains and cousins issus de germains (1680, Richelet).[4][3] The noun also meant a member of the same family (1642), and the adjective, from Montaigne (1580), described things of a closely related nature, a use now expressed by cousin germain.[4][9] English german “of the same parents” and germane go back to the Anglo-Norman word.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1165 – Benoît de Sainte-Maure uses it for full siblings and first cousins.[3]
  • c. 1283 – Beaumanoir writes of freres germains engenrés d'un pere et d'une mere.[9][8]
  • 1580 – Montaigne uses it figuratively, “closely akin”.[9][4]
  • 1646 – Les germains is used as a noun for full siblings.[4]
  • 1680 – Richelet records cousin issu de germain.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (law) Born of the same father and mother, full: frère germain, sœur germaine.[3][10]
  2. Cousin germain, cousine germaine: a first cousin, child of one's parent's brother or sister.[10][9]
  3. (literary) Closely akin in nature.[9]

Noun

  1. (law) Les germains: full brothers and sisters, as opposed to half-siblings.[10][8]
  2. Cousins issus de germains: second cousins.[10][9]

germain2 Germanic, of the Germani

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1512 Jean Lemaire de Belges, Illustrations de Gaule
Borrowed from
Latin Germanus
Ultimate origin
Latin Germānus

Pronunciation

  • /ʒɛʁ.mɛ̃/[1]

Forms

germain (feminine germaine, masculine plural germains, feminine plural germaines)[1]

Etymology

The word for the ancient Germani is borrowed from Latin Germānus (“of Germania”), first recorded in 1512.[3][4] The suffixed form germaniens is found in 1284.[4][5] The Grand Robert, the Petit Robert and Rey say that the Latin name is perhaps Celtic, a compound of words for “neighbour” and “people”, the name the Gauls gave their eastern neighbours.[5][10][4] Littré rejects the ancient link with the Latin word for “brother” and explanations from German, and also favours a Celtic origin.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Jean Lemaire de Belges uses it in his Illustrations de Gaule (1512) of the ancient Germanic peoples.[3][11]

Semantic evolution

In history germain qualifies the peoples who settled in Germania under the Roman Empire and in the early Middle Ages, and their culture.[3][10] By extension it was used of their descendants, and especially of the Germans, becoming the stem matching allemand in learned words.[3][4] It gave germaniser (1556), and germanique (1532), from Latin germanicus, is closely linked to it.[4]

Timeline

  • 1284 – The form germaniens is recorded.[4][5]
  • 1512 – Germain appears in Jean Lemaire de Belges.[3][4]
  • 1532 – Germanique is borrowed from Latin.[4]
  • 1556 – The derivative germaniser is recorded.[4]
  • 1678 – La Fontaine uses Germain as a noun.[9][11]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (history) Of the ancient Germanic peoples or of Germania.[3][10]
  2. Of the descendants of these peoples, especially German.[3]

Noun

  1. Germain, Germaine: a member of the ancient Germanic peoples, an inhabitant of Germania.[10][3]

Word family

  • germaniser

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 120b
  7. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  11. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Germain.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/germain. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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