germs

Noun

germ (plural germs)

1. The embryo of a seed, especially of a seed used as a cereal or grain. See Wikipedia article on cereal germ.
2. The small mass of cells from which a part of an organism develops, or a macroscopic but immature form of that part; a bud.
   • surgical removal of germs of wisdom teeth
3. A pathogen: a pathogenic microorganism, such as a bacterium or virus.
   • 'This again,' said the Bacteriologist, slipping a glass slide under the microscope, 'is a preparation of the celebrated Bacillus of cholera - the cholera germ.'1895, H. G. Wells, The Stolen Bacillus
4. (figuratively) The origin or earliest version of an idea or project.
   • the germ of civil liberty
5. An equivalence class that includes a specified function defined in an open neighborhood.

See all 8 meanings of germ