Etymology of the English word germ
the English word
germderived from the Old French word
germederived from the Latin word
germen (bud, germ; sprout, bud; shoot)
derived from the Latin word
gignere (give birth to, bring forth, bear)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*genə-Date
The earliest known usage of germ in English dates from the 17th century.
Derivations in English
degerm,
germfree,
germproof,
germy,
germ-freeCognates
French
germe, Italian
germe, Latin
germen, Provençal
germe, Spanish
germenUsage
Word found in Modern English
