germ
/d͡ʒɝm/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.20 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A pathogen: a pathogenic microorganism, such as a bacterium or virus.
noun
An equivalence class that includes a specified function defined in an open neighborhood.
verb
To germinate.
Example Sentences
- "surgical removal of germs of wisdom teeth"
- "'This again,' said the Bacteriologist, slipping a glass slide under the microscope, 'is a preparation of the celebrated Bacillus of cholera - the cholera germ.'"
- "the germ of civil liberty"
- "Now all his ponderings, however excursive, wheeled round Isabel as their center; and back to her they came again from every excursion; and again derived some new, small germs for wonderment."
- "What greatness had not floated on the ebb of that river into the mystery of an unknown earth? - the dreams of men, the seed of commonwealths, the germs of empires."
- "Thus tempted, the lust to avenge me / Germed inly and grew."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /d͡ʒɝm/
- British English: /d͡ʒɜːm/
Usage
- Slang
- British usage
- Derogatory