A living cell or organism, or the earliest stage of development from which a living thing grows; the seed or embryo.
From Latin 'germen' meaning 'a bud, sprout, seed, or offspring,' related to 'germinare' (to sprout). This word has been used in English biology since the 17th century to describe the fundamental unit of life's beginning.
Germen is a beautifully ancient word—it appears in Latin medical texts from 2,000 years ago describing the 'seed' of disease—and it's why we have 'germ' today, making every biology student unconsciously speaking in Latin whenever they mention germs.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.