verb (used without object), ger·mi·nat·ed, ger·mi·nat·ing.
- to begin to grow or develop.
- Botany.
- to develop into a plant or individual, as a seed, spore, or bulb.
- to put forth shoots; sprout; pullulate.
- to come into existence; begin.
verb (used with object), ger·mi·nat·ed, ger·mi·nat·ing.
- to cause to develop; produce.
- to cause to come into existence; create.
verb
- to cause (seeds or spores) to sprout or (of seeds or spores) to sprout or form new tissue following increased metabolism
- to grow or cause to grow; develop
- to come or bring into existence; originatethe idea germinated with me
v.c.1600, probably a back-formation from germination. Earlier germynen (mid-15c.) was from Latin germinare. Figurative use from 1640s. Related: Germinated; germinating.