germinal
UK /ˈdʒɜːmɪnəl/ · US /ˈd͡ʒɝmənəl/ adjective, proper noun
Forms Germinals
- adjective Relating to spring
- adjective Pertaining, similar, or belonging to a germ.
- adjective (botany) Relating to a plant ovary.
- adjective (figuratively) Serving as a point of origin; formative. “My upbringing was the germinal idea behind the opera.”
- adjective (figuratively) Highly influential; seminal. “This case was germinal to development of the theory of joint participation.”
- proper noun (historical) The seventh month of the French Republican Calendar, starting on the date of the vernal equinox (March 21 or 22) and ending on April 19 or 20.
Synonyms
Etymology
From oblique stem of Latin germen, germinis (“seed”) + -al.
Borrowed from French germinal, from Latin germen (“sprout, bud”) + -al.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Pertaining or belonging to a germ; as, the germinal vesicle.
- noun The seventh month of the French republican calendar [1792 -- 1806]. It began March 21 and ended April 19. See VendÉmiaire.
Etymology [See Germ.]
Etymology [F. See Germ .]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “germinal”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details