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• germinal
  germinal

  adjective

  being in the earliest stage of development.
• Germinal
  Germinal

  noun

  (in the French Revolutionary calendar) the seventh month of the year, extending from March 21 to April 19.

germinal

¹ American  

[jur-muh-nl] / ˈdʒɜr mə nl /

adjective

1. being in the earliest stage of development.

   germinal ideas.

2. of or relating to a germ or germs.

3. of the nature of a germ or germ cell.

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Germinal ² American  

[jur-muh-nl, zher-mee-nal] / ˈdʒɜr mə nl, ʒɛr miˈnal /

noun

1. (in the French Revolutionary calendar) the seventh month of the year, extending from March 21 to April 19.

2. (italics) a novel (1884) by Émile Zola.

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germinal ¹ British  

/ ˈdʒɜːmɪnəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or like germs or a germ cell

2. of, or in the earliest stage of development; embryonic

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Germinal ² British  

/ ʒɛrminal /

noun

1. the month of buds: the seventh month of the French revolutionary calendar, from March 22 to April 20

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Other Word Forms

• nongerminal
  adjective
• subgerminal
  adjective
• germinally
  adverb
• subgerminally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of germinal¹

First recorded in 1800–10; from French or directly from Latin germin- (stem of germen “sprout, bud”; see origin at germ) + -al ¹

Origin of Germinal²

From French; see origin at germinal

Explanation

Germinal, an adjective, describes something that is just starting to happen, like all the planning you did and people you got interested in joining the running club when it was just an idea. That's the germinal stage. To correctly pronounce germinal, accent the first syllable: "JER-mih-nul." You can see and hear germ in germinal. It comes from the Latin word germen, or "sprout, bud, sprig, offshoot." So, something in its germinal stage is just beginning, like when you are thinking about possible topics for the research report you are going to write.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

germinal Germinal

Viola also performed in avant-garde composer David Tudor’s germinal musical production, “Rainforest.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2024

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 ● Oct. 31, 2023

In the liner notes he wrote for a 2004 reissue of “John Somebody” on John Zorn’s Tzadik label, Mr. Johnson said that germinal material for the piece dated as far back as 1977.

From New York Times ● Mar. 26, 2023

The cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker published his germinal text "The Denial of Death" in 1973.

From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2022

Could the effects of this germinal mutation be undone?

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

It is being led by a Belfast-based plant breeding company, Germinal.

From BBC ● May 31, 2023

She first considers the Repository for Germinal Choice, stocked with the sperm of Nobel laureates who have agreed to share anonymously their gifted DNA with the world.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 12, 2022

“The Rise of the Smart Sperm Shopper: How the Repository for Germinal Choice accidentally revolutionized sperm banking,” posted April 20, 2001.

From Slate ● Dec. 27, 2017

With two Designated Players, Alvaro Fernandez and Sherjill MacDonald arriving this week from Seattle and Germinal Beerschot respectively, they've sent out a message of intent to the rest of the league.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 6, 2012

They number ninety volumes; the dossier alone of Germinal forms four volumes of five hundred pages.

From Ivory Apes and Peacocks by Huneker, James

Related Words

• burgeoning
• fledgling
• growing
• incipient
• nascent
• promising