Teuton

Syllables: Teu·ton/ˈt(j)uː.tən/US/ˈt(j)u.tən/

Teuton noun: a member of an early Germanic tribe living in Jutland noted in historical writings by Greek and Roman authors.

Noun

Teuton (plural Teutons)

(historical) A member of an early Germanic tribe living in Jutland noted in historical writings by Greek and Roman authors.
- The difference between the Clergy and the Teuton conquerors was more than a difference of creed, or of civilization. It was an actual difference of race. They were Romans, to whom the Teuton was a savage, speaking a different tongue, obeying different laws, his whole theory of the universe...1864, Charles Kingsley, The Roman and the Teuton: A Series of Lectures Delivered Before the University of Cambridge, page 220
- We have noted that the Teutonic layer of European barbarians, unlike the Celtic layer, resisted the disintegrating action of Hellenism to such effect that the Teutons were able to take their place in the external proletariat of the Hellenic World and to dispatch the Hellenic Society in its death...1946, Arnold Joseph Toynbee, A Study of History, volume 1, page 153
(historical) A member of the Teutonic Order.
- The third threat, from the Teutonic Knights of Germany, was the worst, because the Crusader Teutons wanted not only Russian land but also to kill off the people of Russia because they were a different kind of Christian from them!2008, K. M. Lucchese, Folk Like Me: The Read-Aloud Book of Saints, page 51
- Its garrison consisted of the Templars and Hospitalliers, the knights of Cyprus, Teutons, French, English, Pizzan, Venetian, and Genoan mercenaries.[…]On the following day the New Tower of the city, which was defended by the Teuton knights, was taken by assault.2009, Kadir I. Natho, Circassian History, page 177
A member of any Germanic language-speaking people, especially a German.
- In the first place, a prolonged struggle in the North Temperate Zone, with a harsh, though not a depressing, natural environment, endows the Teuton with unusual energy and initiative. Then centuries of wanderings in which the strong set forth and the weak and timid stay behind, brings the Teuton to...1901, Edward Alsworth Ross, Social Control: A Survey of the Foundations of Order, published 2009, page 16
- Every Teuton must fall on his face before an inferior Teuton; until they all find, in the foul marshes towards the Baltic, the very lowest of all possible Teutons, and worship him--and find he is a Slav. So much for Pan-Germanism.1915, G. K. Chesterton, The Crimes of England, published 2008, unnumbered page

Adjective

Teuton (comparative more Teuton, superlative most Teuton)

Synonym of Teutonic.
- While some families of the oldest Welsh stocks talk English only, a large number, whose forefathers were Teuton, Norse, or Irish, now converse in Cymraeg.1881, James Bonwick, “Preface”, in Who Are the Welsh? (Our Nationalities; III), London: David Bogue, […], pages iii–iv
- Had the Jews been so fixed a type, by this time their offspring would have been more numerous than the Chinese. The reverse, however, is the case; and therefore, we may suppose they must have become extinct, had it not been for fresh supplies of Saxon, Teuton, Spanish, and Italian blood.1886 December 18, Richard Jefferies, “Just Before Winter”, in R[obert] Chambers (Secundus), editor, Chambers’s Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, fifth series, volume III, number 155...
Synonyms:

Teutonic

Teuton meaning in Marathi and Arabic

Teuton in Marathi

member of a Germanic tribe: ट्यूटॉन ṭyūṭŏn
German: ट्यूटॉन ṭyūṭŏn

Teuton in Arabic

member of a Germanic tribe: تُوتُونِيّ tutuniyy

Examples of Teuton in a sentence

The difference between the Clergy and the Teuton conquerors was more than a difference of creed, or of civilization.1864, Charles Kingsley, The Roman and the Teuton: A Series of Lectures Delivered Before the University of Cambridge, page 220:
What he imagined the social order and the experience of the Teutons actually to have been, and why this lost world should represent an ideal, is, it must be said, hard to discover.2012, Peter Longerich, Heinrich Himmler: A Life, page 271:
In the first place, a prolonged struggle in the North Temperate Zone, with a harsh, though not a depressing, natural environment, endows the Teuton with unusual energy and initiative.1901, Edward Alsworth Ross, Social Control: A Survey of the Foundations of Order, published 2009, page 16:
The history of the Teutons, or Germans, as they are more commonly called, is very much like that of the Bantu in central Africa.1976, Harry R. Boer, A Short History of the Early Church, page 122:

Synonyms of Teuton

Teutonic

Forms of Teuton

Noun
plural	Teutons
Adjective
comparative	more Teuton
superlative	most Teuton

Origin of Teuton

PIE word *tewtéh₂ Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂der. Latin Teutonēsbor. English Teuton Borrowed from Latin Teutonēs, Teutonī (“the Teutons”) (compare Ancient Greek Τεύτονες (Teútones)), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂ (“people”). First attested in the early 1700s.

Words formed from Teuton

Words that rhyme with Teuton

Questions about Teuton

What does Teuton mean?: Teuton means a member of an early Germanic tribe living in Jutland noted in historical writings by Greek and Roman authors.
What is Teuton in Marathi?: Teuton in Marathi is ट्यूटॉन (ṭyūṭŏn). See Teuton meaning in Marathi.
How do you use Teuton in a sentence?: The difference between the Clergy and the Teuton conquerors was more than a difference of creed, or of civilization.
What part of speech is Teuton?: Teuton can be a noun or an adjective.
How do you pronounce Teuton?: Teuton is pronounced /ˈt(j)uː.tən/ (UK).
What is the plural of Teuton?: The plural of Teuton is Teutons.

Words near Teuton in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: Teuton (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Teuton.wav.

Cite this entry: “Teuton.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/teuton. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.