noun

• The standard literary and spoken form of German, originally used in the highlands in the south of Germany. The establishment of this form as a standard language owes much to the biblical translations of Martin Luther in the 16th century.

  See also Middle High German, Old High German

  ‘Sandra, like many in Switzerland, is multi-lingual; she knows Swiss German, High German, French, Spanish and English.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Austria is the only country other than Germany where the official language is German, and approximately 98 percent of the population speaks High German or a dialect of it.’
  • ‘In the poet's home, the language was High German, while the wider community generally used the more Latinate Romanian.’
  • ‘In 1788 Gauss began his education at the Gymnasium, where he learnt High German and Latin.’
  • ‘Soon after, we were honored to be invited to an Amish church service, conducted in High German.’