germ en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /d͡ʒɜːm/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- jûrm (General-American)
- /d͡ʒɝm/ (General-American)
Etymology
From Middle French germe, from Latin germen (“bud, seed, embryo”). Doublet of germen.
Meanings
- The small mass of cells from which a new organism develops; a seed, bud, spore, or zygote. ▸ The embryo of a seed, especially of a seed used as a cereal or grain. See Wikipedia article on cereal germ.
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The small mass of cells from which a new organism develops; a seed, bud, spore, or zygote. ▸ The small mass of cells from which a part of an organism develops, or a macroscopic but immature form of that part; a bud.
surgical removal of germs of wisdom teeth
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A pathogen: a pathogenic microorganism, such as a bacterium or virus.
'This again,' said the Bacteriologist, slipping a glass slide under the microscope, 'is a preparation of the celebrated Bacillus of cholera - the cholera germ.'
1895, H. G. Wells, The Stolen Bacillus:
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(figuratively) The origin or earliest version of an idea or project.
What greatness had not floated on the ebb of that river into the mystery of an unknown earth? - the dreams of men, the seed of commonwealths, the germs of empires.
1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 194:Now all his ponderings, however excursive, wheeled round Isabel as their center; and back to her they came again from every excursion; and again derived some new, small germs for wonderment.
1852, Herman Melville, Pierre; or The Ambiguities:the germ of civil liberty
- An equivalence class that includes a specified function defined in an open neighborhood.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| germs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
germ warfare (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germophobic (terms derived from germ (noun)) · pangermist (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germicide (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germ layer (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germule (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germ tube (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germlike (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germophobe (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germ-free (terms derived from germ (noun)) · degerm (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germ theory of disease (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germ history (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germless (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germband (terms derived from germ (noun)) · wheat germ (terms derived from germ (noun)) · epithelial germ (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germ theory (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germ-plasm (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germ pore (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germproof (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germling (terms derived from germ (noun)) · multigerm (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germy (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germ cell (terms derived from germ (noun)) · antigerm (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germline (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germ-ridden (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germicidal (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germ plasm (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germogen (terms derived from germ (noun)) · apical germ pore (terms derived from germ (noun)) · germophobia (terms derived from germ (noun))
Descendants
Relateds
germane · germinoma · german · germinative · germinate · dysgerminoma · germinal · germen · germination
Translations (133)
cs mikrob (pathogenic microorganism) · as বীজাণু (pathogenic microorganism) · uk ембріо́н (mass of cells) · ms kuman (pathogenic microorganism) · pl bakcyl (pathogenic microorganism) · cmn 胚芽 (embryo of a seed) · cs choroboplodný zárodek (pathogenic microorganism) · my ပိုး (pathogenic microorganism) · ka ბუტკო (embryo of a seed) · mi moroiti tahumaero (pathogenic microorganism) · lo ເຊື້ອ (pathogenic microorganism) · ar رُشَيْم (mass of cells) · fi itiö (mass of cells) · ca germen (embryo of a seed) · km ជីវាណូ (mass of cells) · ro microb (pathogenic microorganism) · hi रोगाणु (mass of cells) · ro sămânță (idea) · hu csíra (mass of cells) · tl binhay (mass of cells) · pl zalążek (idea) · fa جرم (pathogenic microorganism) · lo ຕົວພະຍາດ (pathogenic microorganism) · ro embrion (embryo of a seed) · be за́вязь (embryo of a seed) · es germen (mass of cells) · ro germen (pathogenic microorganism) · ru эмбрио́н (mass of cells) · ja 胚芽 (mass of cells) · lo ແມ່ພະຍາດ (pathogenic microorganism) · cs bakterie (pathogenic microorganism) · nl kiem (mass of cells) · ca germen (mass of cells) · ro germen (embryo of a seed) · ru зача́ток (mass of cells) · bg заро́диш (mass of cells) · acw جرثومة (pathogenic microorganism) · uk за́в'язь (embryo of a seed) · vi vi khuẩn (pathogenic microorganism) · be заро́дак (mass of cells) · sv mikrob (mass of cells) · de Keim (mass of cells) · ru заро́дыш (mass of cells) · cs zárodek (mass of cells) · hu kórokozó (pathogenic microorganism) · pl zarazek (pathogenic microorganism) · hi कीटाणु (mass of cells) · hu csíra (pathogenic microorganism) · ru микро́б (pathogenic microorganism) · kn ರೋಗಾಣು (pathogenic microorganism) · ar جُرْثُومَة (pathogenic microorganism) · th เชื้อโรค (pathogenic microorganism) · pt germe (idea) · pt germe (embryo of a seed) · gl xerme (idea) · is sýkill (pathogenic microorganism) · th เชื้อ (pathogenic microorganism) · fr germe (idea) · uk мікро́б (pathogenic microorganism) · fr germe (mass of cells) · es germen (pathogenic microorganism) · pl mikrob (pathogenic microorganism) · id kuman (pathogenic microorganism) · ka ჩანასახი (mass of cells) · fi siemen (idea) · cs počátek (idea) · ja 細菌 (pathogenic microorganism) · tr rüşeym (embryo of a seed) · ca germen (idea) · el μικρόβιο (pathogenic microorganism) · vi vi trùng (pathogenic microorganism) · my မျိုး (mass of cells) · ast xerme (embryo of a seed) · it germe (mass of cells) · km ពីជៈ (mass of cells) · mn нян (pathogenic microorganism) · it germe (pathogenic microorganism) · id kuman (mass of cells) · sw kijidudu (pathogenic microorganism) · ru за́вязь (embryo of a seed) · hu csíra (idea) · tl kagaw (pathogenic microorganism) · vi mộng (mass of cells) · nl kiem (pathogenic microorganism) · ro germen (mass of cells) · fi alkio (embryo of a seed) · lb Keim (pathogenic microorganism) · ca germen (pathogenic microorganism) · ka მიკრობი (pathogenic microorganism) · el μικρόβιο (mass of cells) · es germen (embryo of a seed) · de Keim (pathogenic microorganism) · hi रोगाणु (pathogenic microorganism) · sk klíček (mass of cells) · cmn 細菌 /细菌 (pathogenic microorganism) · bg ембрио́н (mass of cells) · gl xerme (mass of cells) · ka ემბრიონი (mass of cells) · fi mikrobi (pathogenic microorganism) · ja 芽生え (idea) · pt germe (mass of cells) · uk зача́ток (mass of cells) · cs zárodek (idea) · bg микро́б (pathogenic microorganism) · vi mầm (embryo of a seed) · sv frö (idea) · eo ĝermo (mass of cells) · gl xerme (pathogenic microorganism) · nl kiem (idea) · tl mikrobyo (pathogenic microorganism) · lo ເຊື້ອໂລກ (pathogenic microorganism) · ne किटाणु (pathogenic microorganism) · cmn 菌 (pathogenic microorganism) · ko 배아 (mass of cells) · ro germen (idea) · uk заро́док (mass of cells) · sv mikrob (pathogenic microorganism) · ko 세균 (pathogenic microorganism) · eo mikrobo (pathogenic microorganism) · be эмбрыён (mass of cells) · ka ჩანასახი (idea) · km ក្រមី (pathogenic microorganism) · pt germe (pathogenic microorganism) · ro microb (mass of cells) · vi mầm (mass of cells) · mi kitakita (pathogenic microorganism) · ro cauză (idea) · it microbo (pathogenic microorganism) · bo ནད་འབུ (pathogenic microorganism) · fr germe (pathogenic microorganism) · be мікро́б (pathogenic microorganism) · ru зача́ток (idea) · gl xerme (embryo of a seed)