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German-American

German-American

1 3.2
Relating to people in the United States whose family came from Germany and their culture
  • adjective
  • /ˈɡɜrmən əˈmɛrɪkən/
  • US
translation icon : germano-estadounidense
  • The German-American festival featured traditional foods, music, and dances from both cultures.
  • German-American community
  • German-American Studies
  • German-American ethnic

Examples

  • Many German-American families celebrate Oktoberfest with large gatherings and lively festivities.

  • My grandmother often shared stories about her German-American upbringing during our family gatherings.

  • Thus, the political conditions provide a critical context in which to view German-American voting behavior.

    Academic text (1994)
  • I am told that 10 percent of the members of the Society for German-American Studies are citizens or residents of Germany and that its last annual meeting was held there.

    Academic text (1994)
  • In the opinion of the editors, the independence of the German-American community reflected competence in American public affairs.

    Academic text (2000)
  • A second element of German-American politics was their presumed anti-slavery sentiment.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Recent works have woven these two historiographic traditions together, revealing more complexity in German-American political allegiances.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The large and influential German-American community, which had solidly opposed the Poe amendment, divided in the Straus amendment campaign.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Goebel's criticism of Theodore Roosevelt's Winning of the West, on the grounds that it neglected the German-American contribution to the expansion of the frontier, may also have been held against him.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Their diverging political affiliations reflected competing ethnic perspectives and visions of a Philadelphia German-American ethnic community that fell along two different axes.

    Academic text (1994)

Surface Forms

German-American positive

Morphology

German-American = German + American (transparent) = German + American

A clear hyphenated compound of two national adjectives; the meaning (mixed German and American identity or relation) is directly derived from the components.

Etymology

German-American is a compound of German ('from Germany') and American ('from America'), joined by a hyphen to show the two parts together. So, German-American describes people, food, or culture that have 'roots in both Germany and America'.