germinate

[jur-muh-neyt]

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verb (used without object), ger·mi·nat·ed, ger·mi·nat·ing.

to begin to grow or develop.

Botany.

to develop into a plant or individual, as a seed, spore, or bulb.
to put forth shoots; sprout; pullulate.

to come into existence; begin.

verb (used with object), ger·mi·nat·ed, ger·mi·nat·ing.

to cause to develop; produce.

to cause to come into existence; create.

Origin of germinate

1600–10; < Latin germinātus (past participle of germināre to sprout, bud), equivalent to germin- (see germinal) + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsger·mi·na·ble

[jur-muh-nuh-buh l] /ˈdʒɜr mə nə bəl/, adjectiveger·mi·na·tion, nounger·mi·na·tor, nounnon·ger·mi·nat·ing, adjectivenon·ger·mi·na·tion, nounre·ger·mi·nate, verb, re·ger·mi·nat·ed, re·ger·mi·nat·ing.re·ger·mi·na·tion, nounun·ger·mi·nat·ed, adjectiveun·ger·mi·nat·ing, adjective

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

Related Words for germinate

sprout, shoot, develop, swell, originate, pullulate, live, generate, bud, vegetate

Examples from the Web for germinate

Contemporary Examples of germinate

But without a reasonable expectation that security will materialize, better governance will not germinate.
It's All or Nothing in Afghanistan
Vanda Felbab-Brown
October 11, 2009

Historical Examples of germinate

It is the only ground in the world where Ideas can germinate and bloom.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
The seed has found its way into some corner of our minds where it can germinate.
Bunyan
James Anthony Froude
His mind was a selective soil, in which only good seed could germinate.
Shelley, Godwin and Their Circle
H. N. Brailsford
Perhaps the wise and puissant of the future were to germinate there.
Doctor Pascal
Emile Zola
Whether out of or in prison, we are to sow the seed, and some will germinate.
The Prison Chaplaincy, And Its Experiences
Hosea Quinby

British Dictionary definitions for germinate

germinate

verb

to cause (seeds or spores) to sprout or (of seeds or spores) to sprout or form new tissue following increased metabolism

to grow or cause to grow; develop

to come or bring into existence; originatethe idea germinated with me

Derived Formsgerminable or germinative, adjectivegermination, noungerminator, noun

Word Origin for germinate

C17: from Latin germināre to sprout; 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

Word Origin and History for germinate

c.1600, probably a back-formation from germination. Earlier germynen (mid-15c.) was from Latin germinare. Figurative use from 1640s. Related: Germinated; germinating.