- a microorganism, esp one that produces disease in animals or plants
- (often plural) the rudimentary or initial form of something: the germs of revolution
- a simple structure, such as a fertilized egg, that is capable of developing into a complete organism
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
germ /dʒɜrm/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Microbiologya living thing small enough to be visible only through a microscope, esp. such a living thing that produces disease;
microbe. - a source of development;
origin;
seed:the germ of an idea.
germ
( jûrm),USA pronunciation n.
adj.
germ′less, adj.
germ′like′, adj.
- Microbiologya microorganism, esp. when disease-producing;
microbe. - Botanya bud, offshoot, or seed.
- Developmental Biologythe rudiment of a living organism;
an embryo in its early stages. - Developmental Biologythe initial stage in development or evolution, as a germ cell or ancestral form.
- something that serves as a source or initial stage for subsequent development:the germ of an idea.
adj.
- Pathologyof, pertaining to, or caused by disease-producing germs.
- Latin germen shoot, sprout, by dissimilation from *genmen, equivalent. to gen- (see genitor, genus) + -men resultative noun, nominal suffix)
- Middle French germe
- late Middle English 1400–50
germ′like′, adj.
- 4. spark, root, bud, rudiment, seed.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
germ /dʒɜːm/ n
'germ' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
asepsis
- aseptic
- ectoderm
- endoderm
- gamete
- germ cell
- germplasm
- germ warfare
- germinal
- germinate
- mesoderm
- oocyte
- plasm
- recombination
- seed
- shorts
- soma
- spermatocyte
- spermatogonium
- spore
- tocopherol
- Weismannism
- wheat germ
- white flour
- anlage
- asexual
- Barr body
- biological warfare
- blastogenesis
- degerm
- diploblastic
- epiblast
- gastrula
- german
- germen
- germfree
- germicide
- germ layer
- germline insertion
- germ plasm
- germproof
- germ theory
- germy
- gonium
- hominy
- idioplasm
- Kudrun
- Max Müller
- mesoblast
- Nernst