germen

See also: gérmen

English

Etymology

From Latin germen (“germ, seed”). Doublet of germ.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒɜː.mən/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒɝ.mən/
• Homophone: German
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)mən

Noun

germen (plural germens or germina)

1. (biology) The basic form of an organism; the seed or germ.

Anagrams

• Mergen

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Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *genmen, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁mn̥ (“offspring”, “seed”), from the root *ǵenh₁- (“to beget”, “to give birth”). Equivalent to gignō (“I beget”) +‎ -men (noun-forming suffix). Confer with genimen.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈɡer.men/, [ˈɡɛrmɛn]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒer.men/, [ˈd͡ʒɛrmen]

Noun

germen n (genitive germinis); third declension

1. shoot, sprout, bud
2. germ, seed, origin
3. embryo, fetus

Declension

Third-declension noun (neuter, imparisyllabic non-i-stem).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	germen	germina
Genitive	germinis	germinum
Dative	germinī	germinibus
Accusative	germen	germina
Ablative	germine	germinibus
Vocative	germen	germina

Derived terms

• germānus
• germinascō
• germinō

Related terms

• germinātiō
• germinātus

Descendants

• → Catalan: germen
• → English: germ, germen
• → French: germe
• Galician: xerme, xermolo
• → Italian: germe
• → Occitan: gèrme
• → Portuguese: germe
• → Romanian: germen
• → Spanish: germen

References

• “germen”, in Charlton T[homas] Lewis; Charles [Lancaster] Short (1879) […] A New Latin Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Chicago, Ill.: American Book Company; Oxford: Clarendon Press.
• “germen”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• germen in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

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Romanian

Alternative forms

• germene

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin germen.

Noun

germen m (plural germeni)

1. embryo

   Synonym: embrion

2. (biology) seed, germ (small mass of cells from which an organism grows)
3. germ

   Synonym: microb

4. principle, element, component

   Synonyms: principiu, element

Declension

Declension of germen

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) germen	germenul	(niște) germeni	germenii
genitive/dative	(unui) germen	germenului	(unor) germeni	germenilor
vocative	germenule		germenilor

Related terms

• germina
• germinare
• germinat
• germinabil
• germinabilitate

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Spanish

Etymology

From Latin germen (“germ, seed”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxeɾmen/, [ˈxeɾ.mẽn]

Noun

germen m (plural gérmenes)

1. germen
2. microbe, microorganism
3. (figuratively) seed, origin

Further reading

• “germen”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014