a German word now obsolete: the "slicing", i.e. tearing apart of the "Heer" (Desertion). In German dialects, a large amount of forms of "theodiscus" existed throughout the Middle Ages and which all referred to either the broader Romance/Germanic dichotomy in the West and South or the Slavic/Germanic bipartition in the East. In Old High German both diutisk and diutisc are known, that developed in Middle High German as diutsc. In Middle Low German it was known as and Modern Low German as . However, in German, the use of the term referring to Germans specifically as opposed to people speaking Germanic languages in general evolves during the Early Modern Period and it is in the late 17th and 18th century that the modern meaning of is established. See also Teutons Furor Teutonicus Theodism Theodoric Walha Túath Name of the Goths Notes History of the Dutch language History of the English language History of the German language Etymologies Latin words and phrases