Added 10 October 2026
germination
/ˌdʒɜːɹ.mɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ noun
Latin root: germen Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about germination at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- The process whereby seeds or spores sprout and begin to grow.
-
The origin of some development.
the germination of their discontent
Origin
From oblique stem of Latin germen, germinis (“shoot, sprout, bud”) + -ation, from Latin germinātiō, germinātiōnem (“sprouting, budding, growing”), from germinātus (“sprouted, budded, grown”), past participle of germinō (“to sprout, bud, grow”), from germen, germinis (“shoot, sprout, bud”). By surface analysis, germinate + -ion.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)