germ

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

germ [germ germs] BrE [dʒɜːm] NAmE [dʒɜːrm] noun
1. countable, usually plural a very small living thing that can cause infection and disease
•Disinfectant kills germs.
•Dirty hands can be a breeding ground for germs.
2. singular ~ of sth an early stage of the development of sth
•Here was the germ of a brilliant idea.
•The germ of the town was a single house near the river.
3. countable (biology)the part of a plant or an animal that can develop into a new one
see also ↑wheatgerm

Word Origin:
late Middle English (in sense 3): via Old French from Latin germen ‘seed, sprout’. Sense 1 dates from the late 19th cent.

Example Bank:
•Cracks and scratches in work surfaces can harbour germs.
•The epidemic was caused by a deadly germ.
•The epidemic was caused by a particularly virulent flu germ.
•They used bleach to kill any germs in the sink and drain.
•The germ is the embryo of the new plant.

• Từ đồng nghĩa / Synonyms:
  microbe, bug, source, seed