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germen

American  
[jur-muhn] / ˈdʒɜr mən /

noun

Archaic.

plural

germens, germina
  1. a germ.


germen British  
/ ˈdʒɜːmən /

noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of germen

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

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.

Moreover in Stellaria graminea, as Babington remarks 'British Botany' 1851 page 51, "shorter and longer petals accompany an imperfection of the stamens or germen."

From The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species by Darwin, Charles

Mr. Fairbairn, to whose abilities and industry the Companies Garden at Chelsea is indebted for its present flourishing state, being desirous of obtaining ripe seeds, I had no opportunity of examining the germen.

From The Botanical Magazine, Vol. 4 Or, Flower-Garden Displayed by Curtis, William

The younger the fruit of the carica, the more milk it yields: it is even found in the germen scarcely fecundated.

From Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 2 by Humboldt, Alexander von

The species attack the flowers and anthers of composite and polygonaceous plants, the leaves, culms, and germen of grasses, &c., and are popularly known as “smuts.”

From Fungi: Their Nature and Uses by Cooke, M. C. (Mordecai Cubitt)

The germen becomes a round woody capsule, compressed at the ends like an orange, divided into twelve cells, each containing a flat oblong seed.

From Antigua and the Antiguans, Volume II (of 2) A full account of the colony and its inhabitants from the time of the Caribs to the present day by Anonymous