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“Wert thou a Leopard, thou wert Germane to the Lion.” So wrote William Shakespeare in his five-act tragedy Timon of Athens, using an old (and now-obsolete) sense of germane meaning “closely akin.” Germane comes to us from the Middle English word germain, meaning “having the same parents.” (An early noun sense of germane also referred specifically to children of the same parents.) Today, something said to be germane is figuratively “related” in that it is relevant or fitting to something else, as when music critic Amanda Petrusich wrote of an album by the Chicks: “‘Gaslighter’ is brasher and more pop-oriented than anything the band has done before. Part of this shift feels germane to our era—the idea of genre, as it applies to contemporary music, is growing less and less relevant—but it also feels like a final repudiation of country music, and of a community that mostly failed to support or to understand one of its biggest acts.”
Examples of germane in a Sentence
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic, 3 Feb. 2003
Bork and his supporters argued that his "academic" writings and his speeches were not germane to whether he should be confirmed.
—Elizabeth Drew, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 1987
From time to time, engineers and scientists hold conferences … where they trot out ideas they have developed, frequently ideas germane to solving practical problems.
—Jane Jacobs, Cities and the Wealth of Nations, (1984) 1985
facts germane to the dispute
my personal opinion isn't germane to our discussion of the facts of the case
Catherine Salfino, Sourcing Journal, 14 Feb. 2025
But sensitive, fluent editing keeps these excursions germane to Matlin’s story, making this more than just a tribute to one bright, interesting woman.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2025
The battery is not the germane difference here: reports say a bigger battery will mean an iPhone thicker than ever, which is a key design change.
—David Phelan, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
The study is germane because despite the ease and convenience of e-commerce, most consumers (55 percent) prefer to purchase apparel in-store, according to the Cotton Incorporated 2025 Lifestyle Monitor™ Survey.
—Catherine Salfino, Sourcing Journal, 14 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Germane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/germane. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
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germane
adjective
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