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Origin and history of Teuton

Teuton(n.)

"a German," 1833, in modern use, in reference to residents in or natives of German states, sometimes in contrast to Celt; said to be probably a back-formation from Teutonic. Hence 19c. political and newspaper coinages such as Teutomania, Teutophobe, etc.

also from 1833

Entries linking to Teuton

Teutonic(adj.)

1610s, "of or pertaining to the ancient Germanic peoples or tribes," from Latin Teutonicus, from Teutones, Teutoni, name of a tribe that inhabited coastal Germany near the mouth of the Elbe and devastated Gaul 113-101 B.C.E.; the name is said to be probably via Celtic from Proto-Germanic *theudanoz, from PIE root *teuta- "tribe" [Watkins].

In linguistics, an old name for the Germanic languages, or for the ancestral speech of the Germanic languages (by 18c.). It later was used in English in anthropology to avoid the modern political association of German. But in this anthropological sense French uses germanique and German uses germanisch, as neither one uses its form of German for the narrower national meaning. Compare French allemand, for which see Alemanni; and German deutsch, under Dutch.

An earlier adjective in English was Teutonie "Germanic" (mid-15c.), from Latin plural Teutoni. The Teutonic Knights (founded late 12c.) were a military order of German knights formed for service in the Holy Land, but who later crusaded in then-pagan Prussia and Lithuania. The Teutonic cross (1882) was the badge of the order.

*teuta-

*teutā-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "tribe." It might form all or part of: Deutsch; Dutch; Plattdeutsch; Teuton; Teutonic.

It might also be the source of: Old Irish tuoth "people," Old Lithuanian tauta "people," Old Prussian tauto "country," Oscan touto "community," German Deutsch, Gothic þiuda, Old English þeod "people, race, nation," Old English þeodisc "belonging to the people." But Boutkan says it is probably a substratum word.

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    German
    Middle English had Germayns (plural, late 14c.), but only in the sense "ancient Teuton, member of the Germanic tribes."...
    Goth
    Old English Gota (plural Gotan) "a member of the Germanic people who lived in Eastern Europe c.100 C.E.," from Late Latin Gothus (plural Gothi), from Greek Gothos (plural Gothoi), from Gothic *Gutos, which is preserved in Gothic gutþiuda "Gothic people," the first element cognate
    manger
    "box or trough in a stable or cow-shed from which horses and cattle eat food other than hay" (which generally is placed in a rack above the manger), early 14c., maunger, from Old French mangeoire "crib, manger," from mangier "to eat" (Modern French manger) "to eat," from Late Lat
    Caesar
    "an emperor, a ruler, a dictator," late 14c., cesar, from Cæsar, originally a surname of the Julian gens in Rome, elevated to a title after Caius Julius Caesar (100 B.C.E.-44 B.C.E.) became dictator; it was used as a title of emperors down to Hadrian (138 C.E.). The name is of un
    duplicity
    "deceptiveness, character or practice of speaking differently of the same thing or acting differently at different times or to different persons," early 15c., from Old French duplicite (13c.), from Late Latin duplicitatem (nominative duplicitas) "doubleness," in Medieval Latin "a
    read
    Middle English reden, ireden, "to counsel, advise," also "to read," from Old English rædan, gerædan (West Saxon), redan, geredan (Anglian) "to advise, counsel, persuade; discuss, deliberate; rule, guide; arrange, equip; forebode; to read (observe and apprehend the meaning of some
    attitude
    1660s, "posture or position of a figure in a statue or painting," via French attitude (17c.), from Italian attitudine "disposition, posture," also "aptness, promptitude," from Late Latin aptitudinem (nominative aptitudo; see aptitude, which is its doublet). Originally 17c. a tech
    stadium
    mid-14c., stadie, "a foot race, a racecourse;" early 15c., "ancient measure of distance," from Latin stadium (plural stadia) "a measure of length" (variously reckoned, commonly one-eighth of a Roman mile or a little over 600 standard English feet; translated in early English Bibl
    resent
    c. 1600, "feel pain or distress" (a sense now obsolete); 1620s, "take (something) ill, consider as an injury or affront; be in some degree angry or provoked at," from French ressentir "feel pain, regret," from Old French resentir "feel again, feel in turn" (13c.), from re-, here
    comprise
    early 15c., "to include," from Old French compris, past participle of comprendre "to contain, comprise" (12c.), from Latin comprehendere "to take together, to unite; include; seize; to comprehend, perceive" (to seize or take in the mind), from com "with, together," here probably

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