germination

/ˌdʒɜːmɪˈneɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌdʒɜːrmɪˈneɪʃn/ (ame, ipa)

germination — noun

1. the moment when a seed or spore breaks open and a young plant begins to push out

1.名詞C1
釋義

the moment when a seed or spore breaks open and a young plant begins to push out roots and a shoot.

例句

Mauricio kept the bean seeds warm and damp to speed up germination.

collocation: speed up germination

Most tomato seeds need a soil temperature of about 21°C for germination.

collocation: temperature for germination

同義詞
  • sprouting

    everyday word for the same event; less technical

  • shooting

    informal; usually for the visible green tip pushing up

反義詞
  • dormancy

    the resting state a seed leaves when germination begins

文法句型

germination of [seed/spore]

用法筆記

Subject is usually a seed, spore, or named plant; often appears with rate / temperature / time-period nouns describing growing conditions.

常見錯誤

The germination of the tree took ten years.
The growth of the tree took ten years.
💡germination names only the first sprouting moment, not later growth.

2. the first stage at which an idea, plan, or movement quietly takes shape, before

2.名詞C2
釋義

the first stage at which an idea, plan, or movement quietly takes shape, before it becomes something visible or fully formed.

例句

Nadia traced the germination of the protest movement back to a single online post.

pattern: germination of [movement] back to [event]

The author described the germination of the novel during a long train ride through Portugal.

collocation: germination of the novel/idea

同義詞
  • inception

    more neutral; names the start moment without the slow-shaping nuance

  • genesis

    literary; emphasises the origin point of something later large

文法句型

germination of [an idea/movement/plan]

用法筆記

Formal and figurative; distinguish from sense 1 (literal plant biology) — here the subject is always an abstract noun like idea, plan, movement, or project.

常見錯誤

The germination of the company was 1990.
The founding of the company was in 1990.
💡germination refers to the quiet shaping stage, not a clear founding date.