germ
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From French germe < Latin germen (“‘a sprig, offshoot, sprout, bud, germ, embryo’”); origin uncertain.
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
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Singular |
Plural |
germ (plural germs)
- (biology) The small mass of cells from which a new organism develops; a seed, bud or spore.
- A pathogenic microorganism.
- An idea that forms the basis of some project.
- The embryo of a seed, especially of a seed used as a cereal or grain. See Wikipedia article on cereal germ.
[edit] Derived terms
- germicidal
- germicide
- germ warfare
- germ cell
- germicidal
- germicide
- germinal
- germinate
- germination
- germinative
- germ layer
- germ plasm
- germ theory
[edit] Translations
mass of cells
pathogenic microorganism
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- germ in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- germ in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

