germe

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word germe. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word germe, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say germe in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word germe you have here. The definition of the word germe will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofgerme, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: germé

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin germen.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʒɛʁm/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

germe m (plural germes)

  1. germ (small mass of cells)
  2. seed
  3. bulb (of onion, garlic etc.)
  4. (figuratively) seed (the principle cause)

Verb

germe

  1. inflection of germer:
    1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

Italian

Etymology

From Latin germen (“seed; origin”), from Proto-Italic *genamen, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁mn̥ (“offspring, seed”), derived from the root *ǵenh₁- (“to give birth, to beget”). Cognate with Irish giniúint (“procreation, birth”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛr.me/
  • Rhymes: -ɛrme
  • Hyphenation: gèr‧me

Noun

germe m (plural germi)

  1. (biology) germ
  2. (literary) seed, sprout
    • 1822, Alessandro Manzoni, “La Pentecoste [The Pentecost]”, in Inni sacri [Sacred Hymns]‎, collected in Opere varie di Alessandro Manzoni, Fratelli Rechiedei, published 1881, page 678, lines 101–104:
      I doni tuoi benefica ¶ Nutra la tua virtude; ¶ Siccome il sol che schiude ¶ Dal pigro germe il fior
      May your benevolent virtue nourish your gifts, like the sun that opens the flower from the lazy sprout
  3. (figurative) seed, beginning, origin
    • (Can we date this quote?), Niccolò Tommaseo, Dolore e speranza [Sorrow and Hope], collected in Poesie di Niccolò Tommaseo, Successori Le Monnier, published 1872, page 196, lines 21–24:
      Senz'affanni non germoglia ¶ Dell'onore il germe santo ¶ Seminai, Signor, nel pianto; ¶ Nella gioia mieterò.
      The holy seed of honor blossoms not without trials. I sowed, o Lord, in weeping; I shall reap in joy.
  4. (figurative, archaic) son, offspring
    • 16th century, Annibale Caro, transl., Eneide [Aeneid]‎, Florence: Leonardo Ciardetti, translation of Aeneis by Virgil, published 1827, Libro VI, page 270:
      […] la Sibilla ¶ A dir riprese: Enea, germe del cielo, ¶ Lo scender ne l'Averno è cosa agevole; ¶ Chè notte e dì ne sta l'entrata aperta
      the sibyl continued, "O Aeneas, son of the heavens, descending into the Avernus is easy, for its entrance is open night and day
  5. (figurative, archaic, rare) lineage, progeny

Derived terms

Anagrams

Middle French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin germen.

Noun

germe m (plural germes)

  1. seed (fertilized grain)

Portuguese

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin germen (“bud, seed, embryo”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to bear”) + *-mn̥.

Pronunciation

 

  • Hyphenation: ger‧me

Noun

germe m (plural germes)

  1. germ (embryo of a seed)
    Synonym: embrião
    Antonyms: casca, pericarpo
  2. germ; microorganism
    Synonyms: microorganismo, micróbio
  3. germ (idea that forms the basis of some project)
    Synonyms: origem, ideia

Further reading

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia