germinate

/ˈdʒɜːmɪneɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdʒɜːrmɪneɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈjər-mə-ˌnāt/ (ame, mw)

germinate — verb

  • germinatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • germinateshe / she / it
  • germinatedpast simple
  • germinating-ing form

1. When a seed germinates, the seed begins growing and puts out its first root and

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

When a seed germinates, the seed begins growing and puts out its first root and tiny shoot. If you germinate seeds, you provide warm, moist conditions so the seeds can start this process.

例句

Kim placed bean seeds on a damp cloth, and within a week they began to germinate.

intransitive: seeds germinate naturally in warm, moist conditions

The biology students learned how to germinate tomato seeds in small containers filled with soil.

transitive: germinate + [type of] seeds + in [medium]

同義詞
  • sprout

    used for the visible above-ground stage after the seed has germinated; more everyday than germinate

  • bud

    refers to a later stage when an established plant produces new growth at its nodes, not seed germination

  • take root

    describes the seed's root establishing itself in the soil, a part of the germination process rather than the whole

反義詞
  • wither

    to dry up and die, the opposite of growing from a seed

  • rot

    to decay instead of germinating, often due to too much moisture

文法句型

germinate (intransitive): seeds germinate

germinate + [seed type] (transitive): germinate seeds

用法筆記

Both transitive and intransitive uses are common. The transitive pattern (germinate + type of seed) is frequent in gardening and agricultural instructions: 'germinate lettuce seeds indoors before the last frost.'

常見錯誤

❌The old plant germinated a new leaf.
✅The seed germinated and produced a tiny root and shoot.
💡germinate refers to the very first stage of a seed starting to grow, not to an established plant producing new growth.
❌I germinated the cutting in water.
✅I germinated the bean seeds on a damp paper towel.
💡only seeds germinate; cuttings and bulbs take root or sprout using different processes.

2. When an idea, plan, or feeling germinates, it appears and begins to develop slow

2.動詞不及物C1
釋義

When an idea, plan, or feeling germinates, it appears and begins to develop slowly in someone's mind or within a group.

例句

The idea of opening a small bakery germinated slowly in Fatima's mind over several months.

figurative: idea + germinate + in [someone's] mind — shows slow mental development

A plan to restore the old library began to germinate among the villagers after the flood.

figurative: plan + begin to germinate + among [group]

同義詞
  • take shape

    slightly less formal; emphasises the idea becoming more concrete rather than beginning

  • develop

    broader and more neutral; covers all stages of growth, not just the beginning

  • emerge

    suggests the idea becomes noticeable, often more suddenly than germinate implies

  • brew

    informal; suggests an idea or feeling growing in a hidden or gradual way, similar to germinate

反義詞
  • fade

    to slowly disappear or lose strength, the opposite of an idea developing

  • evaporate

    to disappear suddenly or completely, often used with plans or hopes

文法句型

idea/plan/feeling + germinate + in/among/within [person/group]

用法筆記

Almost always intransitive. The subject is typically an abstract noun such as idea, plan, thought, suspicion, or feeling. Used in literary, formal, or reflective writing rather than everyday conversation. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 does not accept a direct object — you cannot 'germinate an idea' the way you can 'germinate seeds.'

常見錯誤

❌I germinated a new business idea last week.
✅A new business idea germinated in my mind over several months.
💡the figurative sense is intransitive and suggests slow, organic development, not a deliberate action.
❌The plan germinated immediately after the meeting.
✅The plan slowly germinated among the committee members over the following weeks.
💡germinate implies gradual growth, not a sudden decision.