Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Germany” come from?

Germany derives from Latin Germania, formed with the Latin suffix -ia from the Latin name for the Germanic peoples and lands, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -h₂.

Ancestry of “Germany”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishgermanie—
2Old FrenchGermanie—
3LatinGermānia—
4LatinGermānī—
5LatinGermānus—
6Latingermenshoot, sprout, bud; germ, seed, origin; embryo,...
7Proto-Italicgenamen—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanǵénh₁mn̥offspring, seed
9Proto-Indo-Europeanǵenh₁-to produce, to beget, to give birth

Words derived from “Germany”

  • ジャーマニー
  • เยอรมนี
  • Ujerumani
  • জাৰ্মানী
  • iJalimani
  • siJalimane
  • liJalimane
  • Jāmne
  • Jemene
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- →