germen

[ jur-muhn ]

/ ˈdʒɜr mən /

Save This Word!

noun, plural ger·mens, ger·mi·na

[jur-muh-nuh]. /ˈdʒɜr mə nə/. Archaic.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of germen

From Latin, dating back to 1595–1605; see origin at germ

Words nearby germen

Germantown, German wirehaired pointer, Germany, germaphobe, germ cell, germen, germfree, germicide, germinability, germinal, germinal area

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use germen in a sentence

Mr. Berkeley found no difficulty, and had the stem impregnated as well as the germen.
Fungi: Their Nature and Uses|Mordecai Cubitt Cooke
So in Latin, canmen from cano was pronounced, and then written carmen; genmen from the obsolete γενω passed into germen.
Elements of Gaelic Grammar|Alexander Stewart
The globular part contains the pistil, which consists merely of a germen and stigma, together with the surrounding stamens.
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe|Edgar Allan Poe
Germen oblong, striated, curved slightly outwards, but at length becoming erect and rugged.
Lachesis Lapponica|Carl von Linn

In P. farinosa the germen is broadly obovate and the stigma capitate; here the germen is globose and the stigma has five points.
Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers|John Wood

British Dictionary definitions for germen

germen

/ (ˈdʒɜːmən) /

noun plural -mens or -mina (-mɪnə)

biology rare the mass of undifferentiated cells that gives rise to the germ cells

Word Origin for germen

C17: from Latin; see germ

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012