Teutonic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the cultural, linguistic, or historical attributes of Germanic tribes or peoples
2. Characteristic of the traditions and languages derived from ancient Germanic civilizations, especially the Teutons
3. Pertaining to the ancient Germanic peoples and their cultural, linguistic, and historical practices that influenced modern European cultures

Etymology: The Teutons were a Germanic people whom Roman writers remembered as a real menace. Between 113 and 101 B.C. they moved through Gaul and inflicted serious defeats on Roman armies, and that memory became the root of a modern adjective. Latin "Teutonicus" was built on "Teutones," the Latin name for the tribe, which is why the English word still carries the sense of a people rather than a language or a nation. English took "teutonic" in the 1580s, adopting the Latin form directly. The word is simply "Teuton" with the adjective ending "-ic" added, so it means "of the Teutons" and, by extension, "of Germanic peoples" in general.

Synonyms: germanic, german