Pronunciation: [jêr-'meyn]
Definition: Closely related, relevant, pertinent, apposite.
Usage: Today's word is related to English german "having the same parents or grand-parents," as in "brother-german," "sister-german," "cousin-german." A sister-german is the contrary of a step-sister. The current meaning of the word with the final [e] is but a short hop from the meaning of "most closely related by kinship."
Suggested Usage: Today's word refers to a stronger relation than does "pertinent" or "relevant." Raising pigs for their skin might be pertinent to a discussion of US football since footballs are made from pigskin but hardly germane. Quarterbacks, field goals, and end runs are, however, quite germane to any discussion of football. So, would a discussion of the word "German" be germane here? Apparently, not. The English name for the Germans apparently comes from an accidentally similar Latin word, perhaps itself borrowed from Celtic.
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