1. germānus, a, um, adj. [v. germen], of brothers and sisters who have the same parents, or at least the same father, full, own (very freq. and class.).
- I. Lit.
- A. Adj.: spes mihi est vos inventuros fratres germanos duos Geminos, una matre natos et patre uno uno die, Plaut. Men. 5, 9, 43: frater, id. Capt. 5, 4, 18; Ter. And. 1, 5, 57; Cic. Font. 17, 36; id. Verr. 2, 1, 49, § 128; v. frater; and cf.: L. Cicero frater noster, cognatione patruelis, amore germanus, Cic. Fin. 5, 1, 1: soror germana, Plaut. Aul. 2, 1, 3; id. Truc. 2, 4, 87; Cic. Mil. 27, 73; Nep. Cim. 1: bimembres (i. e. Centauri), Ov. M. 12, 240.
Poet., to denote intimate friendship: soror, of a nurse, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 20, 40 (Ann. v. 42 Vahl.); cf. also absol.: germana, ib. (v. 48 Vahl.).
- B. Subst.: germānus, i, m., and germāna, ae, f., an own or full brother, own or full sister (rare): nunc tu mihi es germanus pariter corpore et animo, Ter. Ad. 5, 8, 34: haec germanus Eryx quondam tuus arma gerebat, Verg. A. 5, 412; Ov. M. 5, 13: germanae justa dat ante suae, id. F. 3, 560; id. M. 6, 613: (Dryades) Omnes germanae Cererem cum vestibus atris Maerentes adeunt, id. ib. 8, 781; Vulg. Gen. 27, 35 al.
Poet., of animals, Att. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 22, 44.
In a pun with Germanus, a German: Cimber hic fuit, a quo fratrem necatum hoc Ciceronis dicto notatum est: Germanum Cimber occidit, Quint. 8, 3, 29; so in plur., Vell. 2, 67 fin.
- II. Transf.
- A. Of or belonging to brothers and sisters, brotherly, sisterly (very rare); nunc tu mihi amicus es in germanum modum, Plaut. Cas. 3, 4, 25; so, casus (fratrum), Just. 27, 3 fin.
- B. In gen., genuine, real, actual, true (a favorite expression of Cicero): illi veteres germanique Campani, Cic. Agr. 2, 35, 97: germanos se putant esse Thucydidas, id. Or. 9, 32: magni et germani Attici, id. ib. 26, 90: germani hujus artis magistri, id. de Or. 2, 38, 160; germani Luperci, id. Cael. 11, 26: scio me asinum germanum fuisse, id. Att. 4, 5, 3: di (te) omnes perdant, oboluisti allium, Germana illuvies, rusticus, hircus, hara suis, Plaut. Most. 1, 1, 39: haec est mea et hujus fratris mei germana patria: hinc enim orti stirpe antiquissima sumus, Cic. Leg. 2, 1, 3: ille Theodoromedes fuit germano nomine, Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 38: germana justitia, Cic. Off. 3, 17, 69: haec germana ironia est, id. Brut. 86, 296: gerrae germanae, Plaut. Poen. 1, 1, 9.
Sup.: germanissimus Stoicus, Cic. Ac. 2, 43, 132.
Hence, adv.: germāne, faithfully, truly: germane fraterneque rescribere, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 15, b, 2; August. Civ. Dei, 2, 13.