GERM
Dictionary entry overview: What does germ mean?
• GERM (noun)
The noun GERM has 3 senses:
1. anything that provides inspiration for later work
2. a small apparently simple structure (as a fertilized egg) from which new tissue can develop into a complete organism
3. a minute life form (especially a disease-causing bacterium); the term is not in technical use
Familiarity information: GERM used as a noun is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
• GERM (noun)
Meaning:
Anything that provides inspiration for later work
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Synonyms:
germ; seed; source
Hypernyms ("germ" is a kind of...):
inspiration (arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "germ"):
taproot (something that provides an important central source for growth or development)
muse (the source of an artist's inspiration)
Meaning:
A small apparently simple structure (as a fertilized egg) from which new tissue can develop into a complete organism
Classified under:
Nouns denoting body parts
Hypernyms ("germ" is a kind of...):
anatomical structure; bodily structure; body structure; complex body part; structure (a particular complex anatomical part)
Meaning:
A minute life form (especially a disease-causing bacterium); the term is not in technical use
Classified under:
Nouns denoting animals
Synonyms:
microbe; germ; bug
Hypernyms ("germ" is a kind of...):
micro-organism; microorganism (any organism of microscopic size)
