germane

relevant, appropriate

TRANSLATION

germane = relevant, zugehörig, passend (zu); nah verwandt, zur Sache gehörig; von Belang, von Bedeutung (für etw.)

STATISTICS

IN THE PRESS

“A week of events is scheduled to include public discussions of both scientific and ethical issues GERMANE to current DNA-based research.”

BBC News

Did you
know?

germane
adjective

- germane (to something) (of ideas, remarks, etc.) connected with something in an important or appropriate way

Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries


ORIGIN

Mid-14th century, middle English, literally “having the same parents” (from Latin germanus). The modern sense of “closely connected, relevant” (c. 1600) has arisen from a usage in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act V, Scene ii:

“The phrase would bee more Germaine to the matter: If we could carry Cannon by our sides.”


SYNONYMS

applicable, applicative, apposite, appropriate, appurtenant, apropos, apt, befitting, cognate, congruent, congruous, contingent, correlated, fit, fitting, fundamental, GERMANE, having a direct bearing on, intrinsic to, material to, on target, on the button, on the nose, on-topic, pertaining to, pertinent, relevant, right on, salient, spot on, suitable, that’s the ticket, to the point, to the purpose, valid, well-suited


Practice OWAD in an English conversation, say something like:

“I must interrupt you, Jim. That subject is not GERMANE to our current topic. I’d rather discuss it offline.”



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Paul Smith

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