germination
Americannoun
-
germinations
plural
-
the process of germinating or of beginning to exist and develop; the very first stage of the development of anything.
-
Botany. the process by which a seed, spore, or bulb becomes a plant.
Closer Look
Dormant seeds are very dry and require the absorption of water to initiate the metabolic processes of respiration and begin to digest their stored food. Respiration requires the presence of oxygen, which must be sufficiently available in the soil for germination to proceed, so the soil must be wet but not so waterlogged as to make oxygen inaccessible. Temperatures must be above freezing (zero degrees Celsius) but not excessively hot (not more than about 45 degrees Celsius). If conditions are right, a radicle (an embryonic root) emerges from the seed coat, anchoring the seed; it then grows and puts out lateral roots. In most eudicots, a part of the developing stem, either the epicotyl (the stem above the cotyledons) or the hypocotyl (the stem below the cotyledons) elongates, forming a hook and gradually pulling the seed coat and the delicate shoot tip above the soil surface. Germination of eudicot seeds is normally divided into two types, designated epigeous and hypogeous. In epigeous germination, the cotyledons emerge above the soil surface, and wither and drop off after their food stores have been used up; in hypogeous germination, the cotyledons remain below the surface and decompose after their food stores have been used up. In most monocots, food is stored in the seed's endosperm (rather than the cotyledon), and it is the single tubular cotyledon that elongates and draws the seed coat out of the soil. The cotyledon conducts photosynthesis, making more food, while the shoot grows up inside the tube.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Explanation
The process of a seed sprouting is called germination. In biology class, you might conduct an experiment to see which factors affect the germination of radish seeds. Inside every seed is a tiny baby plant that stays there, protected by the seed's coat, until it's ready for germination. Germination can start when moisture penetrates the seed and the air and soil temperature is high enough for the plant to grow. You can also use this word for a figurative type of sprouting: "That class was perfect for the germination of new ideas." The word germination comes from the Latin germinationem, "a sprouting forth or budding."
Vocabulary lists containing germination
Life Science: Plants
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Among the Hidden
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Plants (Botany) - Introduction
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The germination of taverns, eating houses, crafts and industries to cater to this commerce generated a culture replete with folklore, songs, literature and art.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
"They wanted to play and build stuff. They were making houses or ships or scenery, and they wanted to jump in, and all of that learning was the germination of Roblox," he says.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2025
Kids get a firsthand look at plant science, from seed germination to the wonders of pollination.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 3, 2024
"Around 14 days after germination, we unrolled the paper so that we could observe the early development of the roots without the interference of any soil adhered to them," says Hochholdinger.
From Science Daily ● May 22, 2024
I don't make a chart and monitor the percentage of germination, because I don't do that anymore.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
The Conflict of Conscience is worthy of notice as being one of the earliest germinations of the Historical Drama.
From Shakespeare: His Life, Art, And Characters, Volume I. With An Historical Sketch Of The Origin And Growth Of The Drama In England by Henry Norman Hudson
Dry-farmers try to provide against this danger by using an unusually large amount of seed, assuming that a certain amount will fail to come up because of the repeated partial germinations.
From Dry-Farming : a System of Agriculture for Countries under a Low Rainfall by John Andreas Widtsoe
Furthermore, the subjects of the vegetable kingdom derive their germinations from influx out of the spiritual world.
From Heaven and its Wonders and Hell by John Ager
Two separate frosts, during a century otherwise so full of movement as the sixteenth in England, repressed and killed all germinations of free intellectual or social intercourse amongst ourselves.
From Theological Essays and Other Papers — Volume 2 by Thomas De Quincey
This alone will stop the germinations of sin, and check wickedness in its conception.
From The Christian Foundation, Or, Scientific and Religious Journal, March, 1880 by Aaron Walker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
