germinate

American  

[jur-muh-neyt] / ˈdʒɜr məˌneɪt /

verb (used without object)

germinated, germinating

1. to begin to grow or develop.

2. Botany.

   1. to develop into a plant or individual, as a seed, spore, or bulb.

   2. to put forth shoots; sprout; pullulate.

3. to come into existence; begin.

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verb (used with object)

germinated, germinating

1. to cause to develop; produce.

2. to cause to come into existence; create.

germinate British  

/ ˈdʒɜːmɪˌneɪt /

verb

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

2. to grow or cause to grow; develop

3. to come or bring into existence; originate

   the idea germinated with me

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Other Word Forms

• germinable adjective
• germination noun
• germinator noun
• nongerminating adjective
• nongermination noun
• regerminate verb
• regermination noun
• ungerminated adjective
• ungerminating adjective

Etymology

Origin of germinate

1600–10; < Latin germinātus (past participle of germināre to sprout, bud), equivalent to germin- ( germinal ) + -ātus -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Jumping straight into a list of major to-dos would leave little time for ideas to germinate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

And getting certification is a rigorous, costly process, as seeds need to be tested in a laboratory for their purity and things like how well they germinate.

From BBC • Jul. 20, 2025

For instance, certain types of organic molecules formed in soil during fires are needed for many seeds to germinate.

From Science Daily • May 14, 2024

Across California and Arizona, there are stretches of desert that can quickly transform into dense fields of wildflowers, since seeds lie dormant in the soil and then germinate and blossom at around the same time.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 20, 2024

If any of them can still germinate after their ordeal, that'll be great.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Related Words

• sprout