römisch

Römisch is a German adjective meaning “Roman” or “of Rome.” It describes things related to ancient Rome, its culture, institutions, or the period of the Roman Empire. The term derives from the Latin Romanus and entered German through historical stages from Latin and French, giving rise to forms such as Römisches Reich or römische Kunst.

Common uses cover historical and cultural contexts. In history, one speaks of römische Geschichte, the römische Republik (Roman Republic), and the römische Kaiserzeit (Roman Empire). In law and philosophy, römisches Recht refers to Roman law, whose concepts influenced continental legal codes. In art and architecture, römische Architektur and römische Kunst denote Roman-era styles and their influence. In numismatics and heraldry, römische Ziffern denotes Roman numerals (I, V, X, etc.). In typography, Römische Schrift or Römische Schriftart designates the serif “Roman type” tradition, contrasted with Gothic scripts.

In modern usage, römisch primarily signals historical or formal discourse. It is also found in the name of historical states, such as Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation (the Holy Roman Empire). The capitalization follows German orthography: when used as part of a proper noun, the adjective can be capitalized (Römisches Reich); as a general descriptor, it is lowercase (römische Kunst). The term should not be confused with linguistic categories for the Romance languages, where terms like romanisch or romanische Sprachen are used in standard German.