germinate

verb

ger·​mi·​nate ˈjər-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce germinate (audio)
germinated; germinating

transitive verb

: to cause to sprout or develop

intransitive verb

1
: to come into being : evolve
before Western civilization began to germinateA. L. Kroeber
2
: to begin to grow : sprout
waiting for the seeds to germinate
germination noun
germinative adjective

Examples of germinate in a Sentence

methods used by gardeners to germinate seeds
Recent Examples on the Web The Lunaria annua, sometimes called the honesty flower, money plant, silver dollar, or dollar plant, is an herbaceous biennial (meaning the next year, the seeds germinate and produce small plants) in the mustard family. Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 The new Big Time Investment fund, which will aim to germinate roughly 20 Arabic titles a year, follows the launch of the Red Sea Fund by Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Foundation, a non-profit tied to the Red Sea Film Festival that provides co-funding mainly for Arabic art movies. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 19 Feb. 2024 As the name suggests, this product keeps weed seeds from germinating through the season, up to 6-8 months. Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 3 Feb. 2024 If your seeds do not germinate, Renee’s will give you a store credit up to 6 months after purchase. Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Jan. 2024 Giant sequoias rely on fire to reproduce — their cones open and release seeds only in response to bursts of heat, and flames expose mineral soil in which those seeds can germinate. Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023 However, the team found that white sage and distant Phacelia produced seeds that were two to five times more fit—or more likely to germinate, grow and reproduce—when pollinated by native species rather than by honeybees. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 July 2023 But the idea continued to germinate until Netflix got on board. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 3 Jan. 2024 Cover it with 1/8 inch of planting medium; the seeds require dark to germinate. Jennifer Aldrich, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'germinate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin germinatus, past participle of germinare to sprout, from germin-, germen bud, germ

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of germinate was in 1610

Dictionary Entries Near germinate

Cite this Entry

“Germinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/germinate. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

germinate

verb
ger·​mi·​nate ˈjər-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce germinate (audio)
germinated; germinating
1
: to cause to sprout or develop
2
: to begin to grow : sprout
3
: to come into being : evolve
germination noun

Medical Definition

germinate

verb
ger·​mi·​nate ˈjər-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce germinate (audio)
germinated; germinating

transitive verb

: to cause to sprout or develop

intransitive verb

: to begin to grow : sprout
germination noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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