germ

Where does the word "germ" come from? It comes from Latin germen, and was adopted directly into English (1640s).

Germ’s story begins in Latin: germen meant “seed, sprout.” 'sprout, seed, offshoot', also the root of 'germinate'. It reached English by 1640s as germ. Via French germe 'seed'; a 'seed' of disease from the 1870s, as Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch established germ theory. Today, germ means a microorganism causing disease; the origin of something.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · classical germen "seed, sprout", 'sprout, seed, offshoot', also the root of 'germinate'.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1640s germ "seed; microbe", via French germe 'seed'; a 'seed' of disease from the 1870s, as Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch established germ theory.