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Germ

 - 5 dictionary results
What is a germ
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germ

  [jurm]
Use Germ in a Sentence
–noun
1. a microorganism, esp. when disease-producing; microbe.
2. a bud, offshoot, or seed.
3. the rudiment of a living organism; an embryo in its early stages.
4. the initial stage in development or evolution, as a germ cell or ancestral form.
5. something that serves as a source or initial stage for subsequent development: the germ of an idea.
–adjective
6. Pathology. of, pertaining to, or caused by disease-producing germs.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME < MF germe < L germen shoot, sprout, by dissimilation from *genmen, equiv. to gen- (see genitor, genus ) + -men resultative n. suffix)

Related forms:
germless, adjective
germlike, adjective

Synonyms:
4. spark, root, bud, rudiment, seed.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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What is a germ
Relax. Take a deep breath. We have the answers you seek.
www.RightHealth.com
Germ for less
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germ   (jûrm)   
n.  

  1. Biology A small mass of protoplasm or cells from which a new organism or one of its parts may develop.

  2. The earliest form of an organism; a seed, bud, or spore.

  3. A microorganism, especially a pathogen.

  4. Something that may serve as the basis of further growth or development: the germ of a project.


[Middle English, bud, from Old French germe, from Latin germen; see genə- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

germ  (n.)
1644, "rudiment of a new organism in an existing one," from M.Fr. germe, from L. germen (gen. germinis) "sprout, bud," from PIE base *gen- "to beget, bear" (cf. Skt. janman "birth, origin;" see genus). The original sense is preserved in wheat germ and germ of an idea; sense of "seed of a disease" first recorded 1803; that of "harmful microorganism" dates from 1871.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: germ
Pronunciation: 'j&rm
Function: noun
1 : a small mass of living substance capable of developing into an organism or one of itsparts
2 : MICROORGANISM; especially : a microorganism causing disease
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

germ (jûrm)
n.

  1. A small mass of protoplasm or cells from which a new organism or one of its parts may develop.

  2. A microorganism, especially a pathogen.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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