1. (n.) That which is to develop a new individual; as, the germ of a fetus, of a plant or flower, and the like; the earliest form under which an organism appears.
2. (n.) That from which anything springs; origin; first principle; as, the germ of civil liberty.
3. (v. i.) To germinate.
Thesaurus Entries
Anlage, Euglena, adenovirus, aerobe, aerobic bacteria, amoeba, anaerobe, anaerobic bacteria, animalcule, bacillus, bacteria, bacterium, base, basis, beginning, blastula, bud, bug, coccus, colon bacillus, diatom, disease-producing microorganism, dyad, echovirus, egg, embryo, enterovirus, fetus, filterable virus, flagellate, fount, fungus, germen, gram-negative bacteria, gram-positive bacteria, larva, loins, microbe, microorganism, microspore, microzoa, mold, monad, nematode, nonfilterable virus, nucleus, nymph, origin, ovum, paramecium, pathogen, picornavirus, protozoa, protozoon, reovirus, rhinovirus, rickettsia, root, rudiment, salmonella, saprophyte, seed, source, spark, spermatozoon, spirillum, spirochete, spore, sporozoon, staphylococcus, start, streptococcus, tetrad, triad, trypanosome, vibrio, virus, volvox, vorticellum, zoospore, zygote
