germination

American  

[jurm-uhn-ayshuhn] / ˌdʒɜrm ənˈeɪʃən /

noun

• germinations
  plural

1. the process of germinating or of beginning to exist and develop; the very first stage of the development of anything.

2. Botany. the process by which a seed, spore, or bulb becomes a plant.

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germination Scientific  

/ jûr′mə-nā′shən /

1. The beginning of growth, as of a seed, spore, or bud. The germination of most seeds and spores occurs in response to warmth and water.

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Closer Look

Dormant seeds are very dry and require the absorption of water to initiate the metabolic processes of respiration and begin to digest their stored food. Respiration requires the presence of oxygen, which must be sufficiently available in the soil for germination to proceed, so the soil must be wet but not so waterlogged as to make oxygen inaccessible. Temperatures must be above freezing (zero degrees Celsius) but not excessively hot (not more than about 45 degrees Celsius). If conditions are right, a radicle (an embryonic root) emerges from the seed coat, anchoring the seed; it then grows and puts out lateral roots. In most eudicots, a part of the developing stem, either the epicotyl (the stem above the cotyledons) or the hypocotyl (the stem below the cotyledons) elongates, forming a hook and gradually pulling the seed coat and the delicate shoot tip above the soil surface. Germination of eudicot seeds is normally divided into two types, designated epigeous and hypogeous. In epigeous germination, the cotyledons emerge above the soil surface, and wither and drop off after their food stores have been used up; in hypogeous germination, the cotyledons remain below the surface and decompose after their food stores have been used up. In most monocots, food is stored in the seed's endosperm (rather than the cotyledon), and it is the single tubular cotyledon that elongates and draws the seed coat out of the soil. The cotyledon conducts photosynthesis, making more food, while the shoot grows up inside the tube.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cross-germination
  noun
• nongermination
  noun
• pre-germination
  noun
• post-germination
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• germinations
  plural

Explanation

The process of a seed sprouting is called germination. In biology class, you might conduct an experiment to see which factors affect the germination of radish seeds. Inside every seed is a tiny baby plant that stays there, protected by the seed's coat, until it's ready for germination. Germination can start when moisture penetrates the seed and the air and soil temperature is high enough for the plant to grow. You can also use this word for a figurative type of sprouting: "That class was perfect for the germination of new ideas." The word germination comes from the Latin germinationem, "a sprouting forth or budding."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

germination germinations

The germination of taverns, eating houses, crafts and industries to cater to this commerce generated a culture replete with folklore, songs, literature and art.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

By contrast, the encased spores showed ~1,000x greater UV tolerance and remained capable of germination even after enduring −196°C for more than a week or 55°C for an entire month.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 24, 2025

Its seeds can lay dormant for years until intense heat and other cues from a wildfire triggers germination.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2025

"They wanted to play and build stuff. They were making houses or ships or scenery, and they wanted to jump in, and all of that learning was the germination of Roblox," he says.

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2025

Barley has the further advantage that its genetics and morphology permit it to evolve quickly the useful changes in seed dispersal and germination inhibition that we discussed in the preceding chapter.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Two separate frosts, during a century otherwise so full of movement as the sixteenth in England, repressed and killed all germinations of free intellectual or social intercourse amongst ourselves.

From Theological Essays and Other Papers — Volume 2 by Thomas De Quincey

It is interesting to mark, as we can in history, first, the feeble germinations of a papal dogma; next, its waxing growth; and at last, after the lapse of centuries, its full development and maturity.

From Pilgrimage from the Alps to the Tiber Or The Influence of Romanism on Trade, Justice, and Knowledge by James Aitken Wylie

This alone will stop the germinations of sin, and check wickedness in its conception.

From The Christian Foundation, Or, Scientific and Religious Journal, March, 1880 by Aaron Walker

Dry-farmers try to provide against this danger by using an unusually large amount of seed, assuming that a certain amount will fail to come up because of the repeated partial germinations.

From Dry-Farming : a System of Agriculture for Countries under a Low Rainfall by John Andreas Widtsoe

The Conflict of Conscience is worthy of notice as being one of the earliest germinations of the Historical Drama.

From Shakespeare: His Life, Art, And Characters, Volume I. With An Historical Sketch Of The Origin And Growth Of The Drama In England by Henry Norman Hudson

Related Words

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