plural germs            
        
    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                                      
                
                    
3
                    
                                          
              
          
                                                      : a microorganism causing disease : a pathogenic agent (such as a bacterium or virus)                                      
                
                                
            broadly                
          
                                                      : microorganism                                      
            
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  Merriam-Webster unabridged




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