germinate
/ˈdʒəːmɪneɪt
/verb [no object]
1(Of a seed or spore) begin to grow and put out shoots after a period of dormancy.Breakdown takes place after a period of rest when seeds germinate and seedlings start growing....
- Dashed segments of the line indicate where viable seeds do not germinate at low temperatures.
- When contaminated seeds are planted, bunt spores germinate in the presence of moisture and infect the wheat seedlings.
Synonyms
sprout, put forth shoots, shoot, shoot up, bud, put forth buds, form/develop buds;
develop, grow, spring up, swell
rare burgeon, vegetate, pullulate
1.1 [with object] Cause (a seed or spore) to germinate.Mrs Perry said pumpkins did not take much work and her daughter had her own greenhouse and had germinated the seeds herself....
- Although windowsills are good places to germinate seeds, they do have some drawbacks.
- One of the ideas was to use empty yoghurt pots to germinate seeds.
1.2Come into existence and develop: the idea germinated and slowly grew into an obsession...
- These are tools for helping communities to germinate, develop and extend themselves.
- The idea for Gubu Nation - a collection of more than 50 uniquely Irish tales during the country's development - germinated during this time.
- Through a combination of her determination and solid common sense, the club was fully operational within a few months of the idea germinating.
Synonyms
develop, take root, grow, spring up, arise, emerge, evolve, mature, expand, enlarge, spread, advance, progress
Derivatives
germinative
/ adjective ...- When highly viable (96% germinative capacity) fresh seeds were incubated in water at a range of constant temperatures, none germinated at 10°C.
- Dormancy is the inability of the viable seed to commence germinative growth even when environmental conditions are physiologically favourable.
- This terminal phase of seed development, called maturation drying, is also known to ensure the switch from a developmental mode to a germinative mode.
germinator
- This independence has allowed universities across the generations to be the germinators of creativity, reform and innovation.
- These seeds were not induced into secondary dormancy and are classed as germinators.
- The studios cultivated their Gables and Garbos not primarily as acting talents (though some, of course, could act) but as cynosures, publicity garnerers, dream germinators.
Origin
Late 16th century: from Latin germinat- 'sprouted forth, budded', from the verb germinare, from germen, germin- 'sprout, seed'.