germ
gb/d͡ʒˈɚm/ us/d͡ʒˈɚm/
A2
English
~ 9400
kórokozó, csíra, csíravonal
NOUN
A2
1
kórokozó
B1
Usage pattern:
[someone] kills/spreads/picks up [germs]
Wash your hands often to get rid of harmful germs.
Moss gyakran kezet, hogy megszabadulj a kórokozóktól.
The doctor explained that the infection was caused by germs on unwashed food.
Az orvos elmagyarázta, hogy a fertőzést a mosatlan ételen lévő kórokozók okozták.
Disinfectant wipes are used to kill germs on surfaces in the kitchen.
Children are more likely to catch germs at school and bring them home.
He covered his mouth when coughing so he wouldn’t spread germs to his coworkers.
Learner examples
Soap and hot water help remove germs from your hands.
A szappan és a meleg víz segít eltávolítani a kórokozókat a kezedről.
There are many germs on a dirty door handle.
Egy piszkos ajtókilincsen sok kórokozó van.
These germs can make old people very sick.
Please stay home if you have germs that cause a cold.
The nurse cleaned the table so there were no germs on it.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "germs" with "worms" or other small creatures. Emphasize that "germ" is usually invisible and is a microorganism such as bacteria or viruses. Also, "germs" is much more common than the singular "a germ" in everyday speech.
Meaning
microorganism that can cause illness
Collocations
kill germs
|spread germs
|carry germs
|harmful germs
|pick up germs
|exposed to germs
Synonyms
microbe (More scientific; includes germs that do and do not cause disease.)
Antonyms
sterility (Refers to the complete absence of germs or microorganisms.)
Themes
health
|science
|daily life
Definition
A very small living thing, like a bacteria or virus, that can make you sick.
A very small organism, especially a bacterium or virus, that can enter the body and cause disease.
NOUN
B2
2
csíra
B2
Usage pattern:
the germ of [an idea/plan/feeling]
Her travel blog began with a simple germ of an idea during a long flight.
Az utazási blogja egy hosszú repülőút alatt született egyszerű ötlet csírájából indult.
The speech contained the germ of a powerful argument that he later developed into a book.
A beszédben benne volt egy erőteljes érvelés csírája, amelyet később könyvvé dolgozott ki.
There was a germ of doubt in his mind that he couldn’t quite shake.
The casual conversation planted the germ of a business plan in their heads.
Every novel starts with the germ of an idea, however small.
Learner examples
He had the germ of an idea for a new app.
Már megvolt benne egy új alkalmazás ötletének a csírája.
There was a small germ of doubt in her heart.
A szívében ott volt a kétely apró csírája.
The talk gave me the germ of a new plan.
This simple question was the germ of his big project.
A short news story was the germ of her movie.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with the medical sense and think it is always about disease. In phrases like "the germ of an idea" or "germ of truth", the meaning is metaphorical: it means a very small beginning, not a microorganism.
Meaning
small beginning of idea or feeling
Collocations
germ of an idea
|germ of a plan
|germ of truth
|germ of doubt
Synonyms
seed (Often used metaphorically as in "the seed of an idea"; slightly more literary in this sense.)
Antonyms
fully formed idea (Describes something complete and developed, the opposite of just beginning.)
Themes
thinking
|creativity
|core_vocabulary
|emotions
Definition
A very small beginning of an idea or feeling that may grow later.
A small, early form of an idea, feeling, or development that may grow into something larger.
NOUN
B2
3
csíra
B2
Usage pattern:
[wheat/corn] germ
Whole-wheat flour includes the bran, endosperm, and germ of the grain.
A teljes kiőrlésű liszt a gabonaszem korpáját, magbelsőjét és csíráját is tartalmazza.
She adds wheat germ to her cereal for extra vitamins and minerals.
A reggeli gabonapelyhéhez búzacsírát ad, hogy több vitaminhoz és ásványi anyaghoz jusson.
The germ of the corn kernel is pressed to make corn oil.
During refining, the germ is often removed to extend the shelf life of flour.
Nutritionists recommend products that retain the germ because it contains healthy fats and vitamins.
Learner examples
This bread has wheat germ in it.
Ebben a kenyérben búzacsíra van.
The germ is the healthy part of the wheat grain.
A csíra a búzaszem egészséges része.
Some companies remove the germ to keep flour fresh longer.
You can put wheat germ on yogurt for more vitamins.
Whole grains still have the germ and the bran.
Common mistake:
Learners may wrongly connect this sense with disease. In food and grain contexts, "germ" is a part of a seed, not something dirty or harmful.
Meaning
embryo part of a grain seed
Collocations
wheat germ
|corn germ
|germ oil
|remove the germ
Synonyms
embryo (of a grain) (More technical; used mainly in biology or botany rather than everyday food contexts.)
Antonyms
bran (Refers to the outer layer of the grain, contrasting with the inner germ.)
Themes
food
|science
|health
|food_drink
Definition
The small part inside a grain, like wheat, that can grow into a new plant and has many nutrients.
The inner, nutrient-rich embryo of a cereal grain such as wheat, from which a new plant can grow.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
4
csíravonal
C2
Usage pattern:
[germ] cells / germ line
A germ cell mutation can be inherited by a person’s children.
A csíravonalbeli mutációt az érintett személy gyermekei örökölhetik.
The study focused on how chemicals affect the germ line in laboratory animals.
A tanulmány azt vizsgálta, hogyan hatnak a vegyi anyagok a laboratóriumi állatok csíravonalára.
Researchers tracked the movement of primordial germ cells during early development.
Somatic mutations occur in body cells, while germ mutations occur in cells that give rise to sperm or eggs.
The disease is caused by a defect in the germ cells that form the testes.
Learner examples
Changes in a germ cell can pass to a baby.
A csírasejtben bekövetkező változások átöröklődhetnek a gyermekre.
Somatic cells are body cells; germ cells make eggs and sperm.
A szomatikus sejtek testsejtek; a csírasejtekből petesejtek és spermiumok képződnek.
This cancer starts in germ cells in the testicles.
A germline mutation can be found in every cell of the child.
Scientists watched how germ cells move in the young animal.
Common mistake:
Learners may think this is the same as the everyday "germ" that causes disease. In biology, a "germ cell" is about reproduction and genes, not infection.
Meaning
cell line that forms sperm or eggs
Collocations
germ cell
|germ line
|germline mutation
|primordial germ cells
Synonyms
reproductive cell (More general; refers to sperm or eggs themselves, while "germ" can also mean the earlier cell line.)
Antonyms
somatic cell (Refers to any body cell that is not part of the reproductive cell line.)
Themes
science
|medicine
|body
Definition
In biology, a special cell that will become sperm or an egg and carries genes to children.
In biology, a cell or group of cells that develops into reproductive cells, such as sperm or eggs, and passes genetic information to the next generation.
Grammar
Dictionary form
germ
IPA
GB/d͡ʒˈɚm/
US/d͡ʒˈɚm/
Syllables & stress
germ (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (germ)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: germ
- Plural: germs
Word family
Forms
germs
noun
Core family
germy
adjective
Related words
germinate
verb
germination
noun
Advanced or less common
germicide
noun
germicidal
adjective
Expressions
germ cell
1/d͡ʒˈɚm sˈɛl/
fixed phrase
technical
cell that produces reproductive cells
A special cell in the body that will later become a sperm or an egg.
Examples
- A mutation in a germ cell can be passed to the next generation.
- The researchers studied how germ cells develop in early embryos.
germ of an idea
1/d͡ʒˈɚm əv ən aɪdˈiə/
idiom
a very small beginning of an idea
A very small, simple idea that may grow into something bigger later.
Examples
- The trip gave her the germ of an idea for a travel podcast.
- From that conversation, the germ of an idea for the new product was born.
germ of truth
1/d͡ʒˈɚm əv tɹˈuθ/
idiom
a small true part in a larger claim
A small part that is true inside a story or idea that is mostly not true or is exaggerated.
Examples
- Her joke about quitting had a germ of truth in it.
- Urban legends often contain a germ of truth that makes them believable.
germ theory
1/d͡ʒˈɚm θˈiɚi/
fixed phrase
technical
idea that germs cause many diseases
The scientific idea that many sicknesses are caused by tiny living things, like bacteria and viruses.
Examples
- The acceptance of germ theory changed the way doctors treated infections.
- Handwashing became a standard practice after germ theory was widely accepted.
germ warfare
1/d͡ʒˈɚm wˈɔɹfˌɛɹ/
fixed phrase
technical
use of germs as weapons
The use of dangerous germs to make people or animals sick on purpose during war.
Examples
- International law bans the use of germ warfare.
- The film imagines a future conflict fought with germ warfare instead of bombs.
the germ of something
1/ðə d͡ʒˈɚm əv sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
the very first small stage
The very small, first form of a plan, feeling, or development that may become bigger later.
Examples
- There was the germ of a real partnership in their first meeting.
- The project still only exists as the germ of something on a whiteboard.
wheat germ
1/wˈit d͡ʒˈɚm/
fixed phrase
nutritious inner part of wheat grain
The small, inner part of the wheat grain that is high in vitamins and is used as a healthy food or supplement.
Examples
- She adds wheat germ to her smoothies for extra vitamins.
- She sprinkled wheat germ on her yogurt for added fiber.
- Wheat germ can be sprinkled on yogurt or cereal.
- This cereal contains whole grains, including the wheat germ.
- Some people buy wheat germ as a health supplement.