germinal
1 Americannoun
-
(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.
adjective
-
of, relating to, or like germs or a germ cell
-
of, or in the earliest stage of development; embryonic
noun
Other Word Forms
- germinally adverb
- nongerminal adjective
- subgerminal adjective
- subgerminally adverb
Etymology
Origin of germinal1
First recorded in 1800–10; from French or directly from Latin germin- (stem of germen “sprout, bud”; germ ) + -al 1
Origin of Germinal2
From French; germinal
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.
Viola also performed in avant-garde composer David Tudor’s germinal musical production, “Rainforest.”
From Los Angeles Times
During an infection, our lymph nodes and spleen sprout cellular cradles called germinal centers that allow B cells to hone their antibodies to be more effective against an attacking pathogen.
From Science Magazine
But first those memory cells get trained in immune system boot camps called germinal centers, learning to do more than just make copies of their original antibodies.
From Seattle Times
In immune system boot camps called germinal centers, they also mutate antibody-producing genes to test out a range of those virus fighters, explained University of Pennsylvania immunologist John Wherry.
From Seattle Times
For example, Shiv Pillai, an immunologist at Harvard Medical School, studies lymph nodes and their germinal centers, where B cells refine antibodies to a specific pathogen.
From National Geographic
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.
