n.
Pronunciation: ' j ə rm
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