Germany
/ˈdʒɜːr.mə.ni/noun
A country in central Europe.
Did you know?The English name ultimately comes from Latin *Germania*, a Roman umbrella term for peoples east of the Rhine, and its exact origin is uncertain, though ancient writers already used it as an outsider’s name for a whole region.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵerh₂-
“to call out or shout”
Ancient Celtic
Celtic
*ger- / *germani
“possibly 'neighbor' or 'shouter' in a tribal ethnonym explanation, but uncertain”
1st Century BCE
Latin
Germania
“the land east of the Rhine inhabited by Germanic tribes”
Old French
OF
Germain / Germanie
“Germany; German people or lands”
Middle English
ME
Germanye
“Germany”