See also: Germ, germ., and Germ.

English edit

Etymology edit

From Middle French germe, from Latin germen (bud, seed, embryo). Doublet of germen.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

germ (plural germs)

  1. (biology) The small mass of cells from which a new organism develops; a seed, bud, spore, or zygote.
    1. The embryo of a seed, especially of a seed used as a cereal or grain. See Wikipedia article on cereal germ.
    2. (biology) The small mass of cells from which a part of an organism develops, or a macroscopic but immature form of that part; a bud.
      Coordinate term: vesicle
      Derived terms: germectomy
      surgical removal of germs of wisdom teeth
  2. A pathogen: a pathogenic microorganism, such as a bacterium or virus.
    • 1895, H. G. Wells, The Stolen Bacillus:
      'This again,' said the Bacteriologist, slipping a glass slide under the microscope, 'is a preparation of the celebrated Bacillus of cholera - the cholera germ.'
  3. (figurative) The origin or earliest version of an idea or project.
    the germ of civil liberty
  4. (mathematics) An equivalence class that includes a specified function defined in an open neighborhood.

Derived terms edit

terms derived from germ (noun)

Translations edit

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb edit

germ (third-person singular simple present germs, present participle germing, simple past and past participle germed)

  1. To germinate.
    • 1909, Thomas Hardy, The Flirt's Tragedy:
      Thus tempted, the lust to avenge me / Germed inly and grew.
  2. (slang) To grow, as if parasitic.

See also edit

Further reading edit

Northern Kurdish edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Iranian *garmáh, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *gʰarmás, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰor-mó-s. Cognate with Persian گرم (garm) and English warm.

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

germ (comparative germtir, superlative germtirîn)

  1. warm

Derived terms edit

Zazaki edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Iranian *garmáh, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *gʰarmás, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰor-mó-s. Cognate with Persian گرم (garm) and English warm.

Adjective edit

germ

  1. warm

Derived terms edit