Make Your Point: GERMANE

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pronounce GERMANE:

jer MANE

connect this word to others:

Something germane is relevant; appropriate; pertinent; to the point; connected to the topic at hand; applicable to the current discussion; app___te ("fitting or suitable, as if placed near to the topic"); or ad_ ___ (two words in Latin: "to the thing: focused on the issue being discussed rather than the person discussing it").

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

"Germane" comes from the Latin germanus, which meant, among other things, "having the same parents: being siblings, or related to the state of being siblings." This germanus traces back to germen, "a bud, or a sprout." (I like that. It's as if you and your siblings are flower blossoms sprouting from the same stem, like orchids or hyacinths.)

In English, we first used the word "germane" in the phrase "germane cousins," meaning "first cousins: the ones with the same grandparents." Over time, "germane" grew to mean "blood-related" more generally, and then "closely connected to the topic at hand."

That last meaning is the one we use today. When something is germane to your topic or your discussion, it has a lot to do with it: it's closely related and therefore important to focus on.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "Her point is germane to this discussion."

Other forms:

The noun is "germaneness," as in "They questioned the germaneness of my comment." But that sounds atrocious to my ears, so, how about "relevance" instead?

The adverb is "germanely," as in "They quoted germanely to support their arguments." And that sounds a little awkward to me. How about "aptly"? "Aptly" is nice.

how to use it:

When you're talking about things that are (and aren't) central, important, and closely related to the topic at hand, and you want to sound serious and formal, you can say that those things are (or aren't) germane to that topic.

Compared to synonyms like "central," "important," "related," "relevant," "pressing" and so on, the word "germane" strikes an extra-formal tone and suggests a natural, familial, enduring kind of connection between things.

We most often say that one thing is (or isn't) germane to another. For example, you might talk about a point or a fact being germane to an argument or a discussion, a question being germane to a presentation, a publication being germane to your field of work, an article being germane to your research project, or a notification in an app being germane to your needs.

examples:

"Nowhere in this article is the provision of room and board figured as the compensation that it is. If these au pairs had to pay for housing and their meals, then the minimum wage argument is germane."
— Ann Conlin, response to an editorial in the Washington Post, 1 December 2016

"The Expendabelles: Dream-Casting the Upcoming Expendables Spin-Off... [Carrie-Ann Moss] played Trinity in the Matrix movies. She was also in Memento, which was awesome, but not really germane to the conversation."
— Eric Dodds, Time, 7 August 2014

has this page helped you understand "germane"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "germane" without saying "apropos" or "relevant."

try it out:

In an interview, while talking about teaching in a classroom, Madeleine Albright said, "Women have to learn to interrupt. Because, if you raise your hand, sometimes you don't get called on until it's not germane."

Can you explain what she means? Have you ever had this experience, whether in a classroom or just in a conversation? Do you agree that it's better to interrupt than wait if you have something germane to say? Why or why not?

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is "That's Not a Thing, That's Two Things."

I describe it; you name it! For example, if I give you "It's that thing where Steve Harvey hosts two groups competing as vassals in medieval Europe," then you give me "Family Feudalism." To see the answer, scroll to the bottom.

Try this today:

It's that thing where, in the late 80s and 90s, a fashionable, eloquent teacher with a mellifluous name taught you to master your QWERTY keyboard and emblazon your plain T-shirts with bursts of spiraling colors.

review this word:

1. Opposites of GERMANE include

A. GRAND and PALATIAL.
B. POLITE and DEFERENTIAL.
C. OFF-TOPIC and TANGENTIAL.

2. We often follow the word "germane" with "to." But we don't have to: if we say that something is germane, full stop, we mean it's _____. Here's an example from Lev Grossman: "Stories are stories, and their relative proximity to reality is not germane. What's germane are the ideas and emotions that those stories create in those who read them. Fiction is never real, but feelings always are."

A. important or relevant
B. striking or memorable
C. morally or ethically effective

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
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From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > GERMANE

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