germ

noun

/dʒɜːm/

/dʒɜːrm/

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[countable, usually plural] a very small living thing that can cause infection and disease微生物；细菌；病菌
- Disinfectant kills germs.消毒剂可杀菌。
- Dirty hands can be a breeding ground for germs.脏手可能滋生病菌。
Extra Examples
- Cracks and scratches in work surfaces can harbour germs.操作台的裂缝和刮痕都会藏着细菌。
- The epidemic was caused by a particularly virulent flu germ.这一流行病是由一种致病力强的流感病毒引起的。
Topics Biologyb2, Illnessb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- deadly
- drug-resistant
- resistant
- …
verb + germ
- carry
- spread
- destroy
- …
germ + noun
- warfare
See full entry
[singular] germ of something an early stage of the development of something起源；发端；萌芽
- Here was the germ of a brilliant idea.一个绝妙的主意就是从这里萌发的。
- The germ of the town was a single house near the river.这个城镇的雏形是河边的一所独栋房子。
[countable] (biology生物) the part of a plant or an animal that can develop into a new one胚芽；胚原基；芽孢；胚胎
- The germ is the embryo of the new plant.胚芽是新植物的胚胎。
see also wheatgerm

Word Originlate Middle English (in sense (3)): via Old French from Latin germen ‘seed, sprout’. Sense (1) dates from the late 19th cent.