Standard Lemma guide

germinal

adj · name · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈdʒɜː(ɹ)mɪnəl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • UK: /ˈdʒɜːmɪnəl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˈd͡ʒɝmənəl/

1

adj

Meaning 1

Relating to spring

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Pertaining, similar, or belonging to a germ.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Relating to a plant ovary.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Serving as a point of origin; formative.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • My upbringing was the germinal idea behind the opera.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Highly influential; seminal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • This case was germinal to development of the theory of joint participation.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

name

Meaning 6

The seventh month of the French Republican Calendar, starting on the date of the vernal equinox (March 21 or 22) and ending on April 19 or 20.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

containing seeds of later development

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • seminal ideas of one discipline can influence the growth of another

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: originative, seminal

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

seventh month of the Revolutionary calendar (March and April); the month of buds

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: Revolutionary calendar month

History

Etymology

From oblique stem of Latin germen, germinis (“seed”) + -al.

Borrowed from French germinal, from Latin germen (“sprout, bud”) + -al.

Across languages

Translations

46 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: зародишен (zarodišen) — pertaining or belonging to a germ
  • Bulgarian: зачатъчен (začatǎčen) — pertaining or belonging to a germ
  • Catalan: germinal — pertaining or belonging to a germ
  • Georgian: ჩანასახოვანი (čanasaxovani) — pertaining or belonging to a germ
  • Romanian: germinal — pertaining or belonging to a germ
  • Spanish: germinal — pertaining or belonging to a germ
  • Arabic: جِرْمِينَال (jirmīnāl) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Armenian: ժերմինալ (žerminal) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Azerbaijani: jerminal — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Basque: sapadun — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Belarusian: жэрміна́ль (žerminálʹ) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Catalan: germinal — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Chinese Cantonese: 芽月 (ngaa4 jyut6) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Chinese Mandarin: 芽月 (Yáyuè) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Dutch: germinal — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Dutch: kiemmaand — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Esperanto: ĝerminalo — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Estonian: žerminaal — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Estonian: idanemiskuu — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Finnish: germinal — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • French: germinal — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Galician: xerminal — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Georgian: ჟერმინალი (žerminali) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • German: Germinal — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • German: Keimmonat — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Greek: Ζερμινάλ (Zerminál) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Greek: Βλασταίος (Vlastaíos) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Hebrew: זֶ׳רְמִינָאל (zherminál) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Italian: germinale — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Italian: germile — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Japanese: ジェルミナール (jerumināru) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Japanese: 芽月 (metsuki) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Korean: 싹달 (ssakdal) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Korean: 제르미날 (jereuminal) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Lithuanian: žerminalis — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Malayalam: ജെർമിനൽ (jeṟminal) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Marathi: जेर्मिनल (jerminal) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Persian: ژِرمینال (žerminâl) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Polish: germinal — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Portuguese: germinal — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Russian: жермина́ль (žerminálʹ) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Spanish: germinal — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Swedish: germinal — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Swedish: gromingsmånad — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Ukrainian: жерміна́ль (žerminálʹ) — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar
  • Vietnamese: tháng nảy mầm — the seventh month of the French Republican Calendar