a microorganism, esp. when disease-producing; microbe.

a bud, offshoot, or seed.

the rudiment of a living organism; an embryo in its early stages.

the initial stage in development or evolution, as a germ cell or ancestral form.

something that serves as a source or initial stage for subsequent development

the germ of an idea.

Pathology . of, pertaining to, or caused by disease-producing germs.