Definition of "germ" []

• Biology A small mass of protoplasm or cells from which a new organism or one of its parts may develop. (noun)
• The earliest form of an organism; a seed, bud, or spore. (noun)
• A microorganism, especially a pathogen. (noun)
• Something that may serve as the basis of further growth or development: the germ of a project. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "[Footnote: In some cases of sexless multiplication the germ is a cell-aggregate -- if we call germ only that which is already detached from the parent organism.]"
• "It is believed that cryptorchidism results from a defect in germ cell maturation in the undescended testis."
• "Among the 38 was a testis-specific cell-adhesion gene (tpx-1) involved in germ cell maturation and sperm tail formation."