germ
/dʒɜrm/
noun
- A very small living thing that can cause disease; a microbe or bacterium.
- The doctor said the infection was caused by a common germ found in soil.
- Wash your hands with soap to get rid of germs.
- She wiped the counter with disinfectant to kill any germs.
- The beginning or earliest stage of something, especially an idea or feeling.
- A germ of doubt crept into her mind about the plan.
- The germ of the story came from a dream he had years ago.
- That conversation planted the germ of an idea for a new business.
- The part of a seed or grain that can grow into a new plant; the embryo.
- Brown rice still has the germ, which makes it more nutritious than white rice.
- Wheat germ is a nutritious part of the wheat kernel.
- The germ of the seed contains the genetic material for the new plant.