Deutsch
/dɔɪ̯tʃ/noun
A German word meaning “German,” especially in reference to the German language or people.
Did you know?Deutsch comes from Old High German diutisc, from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz, meaning “of the people,” a term that separated everyday speech from learned Latin in medieval Europe.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tewtéh₂
“people, tribe”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*þeudō
“people, nation”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*þiudiskaz
“of the people, popular, vernacular”
Old High German
OHG
diutisc
“pertaining to the people; vernacular German”
Middle High German
MHG
diutsch
“German, pertaining to the German language or people”
Modern German
German
deutsch
“German; German language”