Main Entry: germ

Pronunciation: \ˈjərm\

Function: noun

Etymology: French germe, from Latin germin-, germen, from gignere to beget — more at kin

Date: 1644

1 a : a small mass of living substance capable of developing into an organism or one of its parts b : the embryo with the scutellum of a cereal grain that is usually separated from the starchy endosperm during milling
2 : something that initiates development or serves as an origin : rudiments, beginning
3 : microorganism; especially : a microorganism causing disease