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Germ

2 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a microorganism causing disease; the origin of something

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

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

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.