Definition of germanist:
(n) :
(humanities) A person who specializes in the German language, literature and/or culture of the German-speaking world.
(n) :
(humanities; dated) A person who studies the Germanic languages, the associated literatures and/or cultures.
(adj) :
(historiography, law) Pertaining to the school of thought which downplays or denies the continuity of legal and cultural institutions between Rome and later medieval Europe, highlighting the role of external influences and innovation in the decline of the Roman Empire.