Germination is usually the growth of a plant contained within a seed resulting in the formation of the seedling. It is also the process of reactivation of metabolic machinery of the seed resulting in the emergence of radicle and plumule.
Definition of germinate verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
1. to begin to grow or develop. 2. a. to develop into a plant or individual, as a seed, spore, or bulb. b. to put forth shoots; sprout. 3. to come into existence; begin. 4. to cause to sprout. 5. to cause to come into existence. ger`mi•na′tion, n. ger′mi•na`tor, n.
germinate (third-person singular simple present germinates, present participle germinating, simple past and past participle germinated) (intransitive, botany, horticulture) Of a seed, to begin to grow, to sprout roots and leaves. quotations
to (cause to) come into existence; begin: [no object] a good place to let your ideas germinate. [~ + object] to germinate some unusual ideas. ger•mi•na•tion /ˌdʒɜrməˈneɪʃən/ n. [uncountable]
To germinate is to grow or to develop. When a tiny seedling cracks through a seed casing and sprouts, it has germinated. The term is used for other things too, like when an idea germinates into a film or book.