A microorganism that causes disease, or the earliest form of something that may develop further.
From Latin 'germen' meaning seed or sprout. Originally referred to a seed or bud, then extended to microscopic organisms in the 19th century when their role in disease was discovered.
The word 'germ' beautifully captures how our ancestors understood disease even before microscopes - they intuited that illnesses grew from tiny 'seeds' that could spread from person to person, much like plants sprouting from seeds.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.