germinal

ger·mi·nal

[jur-muh-nl]
adjective
1.
being in the earliest stage of development: germinal ideas.
2.
of or pertaining to a germ or germs.
3.
of the nature of a germ or germ cell.
Origin:
1800–10; (< F) < Latin germin- (stem of germen sprout, bud; see germ) + -al1

Related forms
ger·mi·nal·ly, adverb
non·ger·mi·nal, adjective
sub·ger·mi·nal, adjective
sub·ger·mi·nal·ly, adverb
00:10
Germinal is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

Ger·mi·nal

[jur-muh-nl; French zher-mee-nal]
noun
1.
(in the French Revolutionary calendar) the seventh month of the year, extending from March 21 to April 19.
2.
( italics ) a novel (1884) by Émile Zola.
Origin:
< French; see germinal

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
germinal (ˈdʒɜːmɪnəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—adj
1.  of, relating to, or like germs or a germ cell
2.  of, or in the earliest stage of development; embryonic
 
[C19: from New Latin germinālis, from Latin germen bud; see germ]
 
'germinally
 
—adv

Germinal (ʒɛrminal) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
the month of buds: the seventh month of the French revolutionary calendar, from March 22 to April 20

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

germinal
1808, from L. germen (gen. germinis) "sprout, bud;" see germ.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

germinal ger·mi·nal (jûr'mə-nəl)
adj.

  1. Of, relating to, or having the nature of a germ cell.

  2. Of, relating to, or occurring in the earliest stage of development of an embryo or organism.

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