germinate

/ˈd͡ʒɜː(ɹ)mɪneɪt/verb

To start growing from a seed, sending out the first roots and shoots.

Example sentences

“The tomato seeds germinated within a week of planting.”
“Most bean seeds germinate faster in warm, damp soil.”

Ideas germinate too, quietly developing before anyone sees them. The noun is 'germination', a standard term on every seed packet.

Synonyms for germinate

sprout

Related words

geyserA natural hot spring that regularly shoots columns of steam and boiling water into the air.germA tiny living thing, such as a bacterium or virus, that can cause illness.ghastlyLooking pale and frightening like a ghost; shockingly unpleasant or dreadful.geometryThe area of mathematics concerned with shapes, sizes, and the relationships between points, lines, and surfaces.gigabyteA unit of computer data equal to one billion bytes, or 1,000 megabytes.geographyThe subject that studies the earth's surface, its features, and how people interact with them.