germ

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Datamuse reports no synonyms or antonyms for this word.

Noun

1. {{senseid|en|biology, general}} {{lb|en|biology}} The small [[mass]] of [[cell]]s from which a new [[organism]] [[develop]]s; a [[seed]], [[bud]], [[spore]], or [[zygote]].
2. {{senseid|en|pathogen}} A [[pathogen]]: a [[pathogenic]] [[microorganism]], such as a [[bacterium]] or [[virus]].
3. {{senseid|en|idea}} {{lb|en|figurative}} The [[origin]] or earliest version of an [[idea]] or [[project]].
4. {{senseid|en|mathematics}} {{label|en|mathematics}} An [[equivalence class]] that includes a specified [[function]] defined in an open [[neighborhood]].

Verb

1. To [[germinate]].
2. {{lb|en|slang}} To grow, as if [[parasitic]].

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.