germinate

  • 1Germinate — Ger mi*nate, v. t. To cause to sprout. Price (1610). [1913 Webster] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2Germinate — Ger mi*nate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Germinated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Germinating}.] [L. germinatus, p. p. of germinare to sprout, fr. germen. See {Germ}.] To sprout; to bud; to shoot; to begin to vegetate, as a plant or its seed; to begin to develop,… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3germinate — I verb become, bud, burgeon, develop, emerge, evolve, flourish, gemmate, generate, germinare, grow, produce, progress, pullulate, sprout, thrive, vegetate, yield II index develop, pullulate, stem ( …

    Law dictionary

  • 4germinate — (v.) c.1600, probably a back formation from GERMINATION (Cf. germination). Earlier germynen (mid 15c.) was from L. germinare. Related: Germinated; germinating. Figurative use from 1640s …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 5germinate — [v] grow bud, develop, generate, live, originate, pullulate, shoot, sprout, swell, vegetate; concept 427 Ant. halt, slow, stop, thwart …

    New thesaurus

  • 6germinate — ► VERB ▪ (of a seed or spore) begin to grow and put out shoots after a period of dormancy. DERIVATIVES germination noun. ORIGIN Latin germinare sprout forth, bud , from germen sprout, seed …

    English terms dictionary

  • 7germinate — [jʉr′mənāt΄] vi., vt. germinated, germinating [< L germinatus, pp. of germinare, to sprout < germen, a sprout, GERM] 1. to sprout or cause to sprout, as from a spore, seed, or bud 2. to start developing or growing germination n. germinative …

    English World dictionary

  • 8germinate — UK [ˈdʒɜː(r)mɪneɪt] / US [ˈdʒɜrmɪˌneɪt] verb Word forms germinate : present tense I/you/we/they germinate he/she/it germinates present participle germinating past tense germinated past participle germinated 1) [intransitive/transitive] biology to …

    English dictionary

  • 9germinate — ger|mi|nate [ dʒɜrmı,neıt ] verb 1. ) intransitive or transitive to develop from a seed, and begin to grow into a plant, or to make a seed begin to develop into a plant: It s been too cold for seeds to germinate properly. 2. ) intransitive if an… …

    Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • 10germinate — verb 1 (I, T) if a seed germinates or if it is germinated, it begins to grow: Carnation seeds will germinate at a low temperature. 2 (I) if an idea, feeling etc germinates, it begins to develop: The idea of forming a business partnership began to …

    Longman dictionary of contemporary English