germe

See also: germé

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin germen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒɛʁm/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

germe m (plural germes)

1. germ (small mass of cells)
2. seed
3. bulb (of onion, garlic etc.)
4. (figuratively) seed (the principle cause)

Verb

germe

1. inflection of germer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “germe”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Etymology

From Latin germen (“seed; origin”), from Proto-Italic *genamen, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁mn̥ (“offspring, seed”), derived from the root *ǵenh₁- (“to give birth, to beget”). Cognate with Irish giniúint (“procreation, birth”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛr.me/
• Rhymes: -ɛrme
• Hyphenation: gèr‧me

Noun

germe m (plural germi)

1. (biology) germ
2. (literary) seed, sprout
   • 1822, Alessandro Manzoni, “La Pentecoste [The Pentecost]”, in Inni sacri [Sacred Hymns]‎^[1], collected in Opere varie di Alessandro Manzoni, Fratelli Rechiedei, published 1881, page 678, lines 101–104:

     I doni tuoi benefica ¶ Nutra la tua virtude; ¶ Siccome il sol che schiude ¶ Dal pigro germe il fior

     May your benevolent virtue nourish your gifts, like the sun that opens the flower from the lazy sprout

3. (figurative) seed, beginning, origin
   • (Can we date this quote?), Niccolò Tommaseo, Dolore e speranza [Sorrow and Hope], collected in Poesie di Niccolò Tommaseo, Successori Le Monnier, published 1872, page 196, lines 21–24:

     Senz'affanni non germoglia ¶ Dell'onore il germe santo ¶ Seminai, Signor, nel pianto; ¶ Nella gioia mieterò.

     The holy seed of honor blossoms not without trials. I sowed, o Lord, in weeping; I shall reap in joy.

4. (figurative, archaic) son, offspring
   • 16th century, Annibale Caro, transl., Eneide [Aeneid]‎^[2], Florence: Leonardo Ciardetti, translation of Aeneis by Virgil, published 1827, Libro VI, page 270:

     […] la Sibilla ¶ A dir riprese: Enea, germe del cielo, ¶ Lo scender ne l'Averno è cosa agevole; ¶ Chè notte e dì ne sta l'entrata aperta

     the sibyl continued, "O Aeneas, son of the heavens, descending into the Avernus is easy, for its entrance is open night and day

5. (figurative, archaic, rare) lineage, progeny

Derived terms

• germe di grano
• germicida

 

Related terms

• germinale
• germinare

 

Anagrams

• merge

Middle French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin germen.

Noun

germe m (plural germes)

1. seed (fertilized grain)

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• gérmen

Etymology

From Latin germen (“bud, seed, embryo”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to bear”) + *-mn̥.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʒɛʁ.mi/ [ˈʒɛɦ.mi]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʒɛʁ.mi/ [ˈʒɛɦ.mi]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈʒɛɾ.mi/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈʒɛʁ.mi/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʒɛɻ.me/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈʒɛɾ.mɨ/

• Hyphenation: ger‧me

Noun

germe m (plural germes)

1. germ (embryo of a seed)

   Synonym: embrião

   Antonyms: casca, pericarpo

2. germ; microorganism

   Synonyms: microorganismo, micróbio

3. germ (idea that forms the basis of some project)

   Synonyms: origem, ideia

Related terms

• germano
• germicida
• germinação
• germinado
• germinador
• germinadouro
• germinal
• germinante
• germinar
• germinativo

 

Further reading

• “germe” in iDicionário Aulete.
• “germe” in Dicionário inFormal.
• “germe” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “germe” in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa. Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024.
• “germe” in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa.
• “germe” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.