Literary notes about Germane (AI summary)
The term germane in literature is almost invariably employed as an adjective to denote relevance or pertinence to the topic at hand. Writers use it to indicate that a point, illustration, or even an amendment is directly related to the central subject, as when a discussion is described as "subject germane to our line of thought" [1] or when a particular detail is considered "not germane to this story" [2]. In some cases, the word emphasizes the importance of related material in furthering an argument or narrative—illustrated by its use in phrases like "germane to our present purpose" [3] or "the amendment is not germane to the report" [4]. Additionally, its occasional appearance as a proper noun, or in contexts of historical naming [5, 6], shows the term’s linguistic versatility within literary works.
- This suggests another subject germane to our line of thought.
— from A Book Written by the Spirits of the So-Called Dead - What I said in reply is not germane to this story.
— from The Millionaire Baby by Anna Katharine Green - is the inquiry most germane to our present purpose.
— from Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 6 - But the amendment is not germane to the report of the committee.
— from A Report of the Debates and Proceedings in the Secret Sessions of the Conference Convention For Proposing Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, Held at Washington, D.C., in February, A.D. 1861 by L. E. (Lucius Eugene) Chittenden - It fell to the lot of Germane to go and examine it, and he did not think the task a pleasant one.
— from Old Celtic Romances - Là-haut, près des toits, veille une lumière: c’est l’abbé Germane qui travaille à son grand ouvrage.
— from Le Petit Chose (Histoire d'un Enfant) by Alphonse Daudet
