germinal

[jur-muh-nl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR germinal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

being in the earliest stage of development: germinal ideas.

of or relating to a germ or germs.

of the nature of a germ or germ cell.

Origin of germinal

1800–10; (< F) < Latin germin- (stem of germen sprout, bud; see germ) + -al¹

Related formsger·mi·nal·ly, adverbnon·ger·mi·nal, adjectivesub·ger·mi·nal, adjectivesub·ger·mi·nal·ly, adverb

Germinal

[jur-muh-nl; French zher-mee-nal]

noun

(in the French Revolutionary calendar) the seventh month of the year, extending from March 21 to April 19.

(italics) a novel (1884) by Émile Zola.

Origin of Germinal

From French; see origin at germinal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for germinal

introductory, original, basic, incipient, promising, growing, fledgling, burgeoning, nascent, immature, undeveloped, antecedent, opening, leading, inaugural, pioneer, infant, initiative, fundamental, virgin

Examples from the Web for germinal

Contemporary Examples of germinal

But the most fascinating sections are the germinal passages upon which Agee would build and elaborate in the final version.
Revisiting James Agee: Discovering the Original ‘Let Us Now Praise Famous Men’
Malcolm Jones
June 7, 2013
Germinal by Émile Zola My favorite reportorial 19th-century novel.
Pulitzer Winner Jennifer Egan’s PEN Festival Book Bag
Jennifer Egan
April 23, 2012

Historical Examples of germinal

No doubt he often supplied the germinal ideas, while his assistants only carried them out.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro
A bioplast, they tell us, is a germinal point in germinal matter or bioplasm.
Life: Its True Genesis
R. W. Wright
These people have no idea of germinal cells or their conjugation.
The Sexual Question
August Forel
The germinal vesicle is so simple that it may be defined in a line.
Essays: Scientific, Political, & Speculative, Vol. I
Herbert Spencer
Blastoderm: the germinal membrane from which the organs of the embryo are formed.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith

British Dictionary definitions for germinal

germinal

adjective

of, relating to, or like germs or a germ cell

of, or in the earliest stage of development; embryonic

Derived Formsgerminally, adverb

Word Origin for germinal

C19: from New Latin germinālis, from Latin germen bud; see germ

Germinal

noun

the month of buds: the seventh month of the French revolutionary calendar, from March 22 to April 20

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

Word Origin and History for germinal

adj.

1808, from Modern Latin germinalis "in the germ," from Latin germen (genitive germinis) "sprout, bud, sprig, offshoot" (see germ) + -al (1).

germinal in Medicine

germinal

[jûr′mə-nəl]

adj.

Of, relating to, or having the nature of a germ cell.

Of, relating to, or occurring in the earliest stage of development of an embryo or organism.