Dictionary Definition
germ
Noun
2 a small 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 [syn:
microbe, bug]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Pronunciation
- , /dʒɜː(r)m/, /dZ3:(r)m/
- Rhymes: -ɜː(r)m
Noun
Derived terms
Translations
mass of cells
pathogenic microorganism
Extensive Definition
Germ can mean:
- Microorganism, especially a pathogenic one; see Germ theory of disease.
- Germ cell, a cell that has all the information to grow into a complete adult organism.
- The Germ (periodical), a periodical established by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood to disseminate their ideas.
- Germ (mathematics)
- Cereal germ
- Germ, Hautes-Pyrénées, a commune of the Hautes-Pyrénées département, in southwestern France
The plural form Germs can refer to:
- GERMS, a student run EMS organization at Georgetown University
- The Germs, an American punk rock band,
- The Germs (comics), a comic book
- Germs (Invader Zim), an episode from Invader Zim.
- Germs, a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic
germ in Arabic: جراثيم
germ in French: Germe (homonymie)
germ in Dutch: Kiem
germ in Russian: Germ (значения)
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
Anlage,
Euglena, adenovirus, aerobe, aerobic bacteria,
amoeba, anaerobe, anaerobic bacteria,
animalcule, bacillus, bacteria, bacterium, base, basis, beginning, blastula, bud, bug, coccus, colon bacillus, diatom, disease-producing
microorganism, dyad,
echovirus, egg, embryo, enterovirus, fetus, filterable virus, flagellate, fount, fungus, germen, gram-negative bacteria,
gram-positive bacteria, larva, loins, microbe, microorganism, microspore, microzoa, mold, monad, nematode, nonfilterable virus,
nucleus, nymph, origin, ovum, paramecium, pathogen, picornavirus, protozoa, protozoon, reovirus, rhinovirus, rickettsia, root, rudiment, salmonella, saprophyte, seed, source, spark, spermatozoon, spirillum, spirochete, spore, sporozoon, staphylococcus, start, streptococcus, tetrad, triad, trypanosome, vibrio, virus, volvox, vorticellum, zoospore, zygote