germ

English

/d͡ʒɜːm/, /d͡ʒɝm/

noun
Definitions
  • (biology) The small mass of cells from which a new organism develops; a seed, bud or spore.
  • A pathogenic microorganism.
  • The embryo of a seed, especially of a seed used as a cereal or grain. See Wikipedia article on cereal germ.
  • (figurative) The origin of an idea or project.
  • (mathematics) An equivalence class that includes a specified function defined in an open neighborhood.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French germe derived from Latin germen (seed, germ, bud, sprout, embryo, origin) root from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (produce, beget, give birth, be born, procreate, generate, beget give birth to, bear).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*ǵenh₁-

Gloss

produce, beget, give birth, be born, procreate, generate, beget give birth to, bear

Concept
Semantic Field

Modern world

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Kanji

産

Emoji

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms