germinate

[jur-muh-neyt]

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.

verb (used with object)

germinated, germinating 

1. to cause to develop; produce.

2. to cause to come into existence; create.

germinate

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of germinate¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of germinate¹

C17: from Latin germināre to sprout; see _germ

Example Sentences

For example, some seeds in the soil rely on heat shock or smoke to germinate.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

More than 80% of the spores endured the full trip, and all but 11% of those survivors successfully germinated in the laboratory.

Read more on Science Daily

Once the grains germinated in a laboratory, the seedlings were planted in water in June, and harvesting began in early October.

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Deadwood-decomposing fungi feed germinating orchids, providing the carbon their tiny seeds don't have.

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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.

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Related Words

• sprout