That which begins or originates something; the source or first cause.
The act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course; the first act, effort, or state of a succession of acts or states.
The initial portion of some extended thing.
That which is begun; a rudiment or element.
Of or relating to the first portion of some extended thing.
The origin or earliest version of an idea or project.
The small mass of cells from which a part of an organism develops, or a macroscopic but immature form of that part; a bud.
The embryo of a seed, especially of a seed used as a cereal or grain. See Wikipedia article on cereal germ.
A pathogen: a pathogenic microorganism, such as a bacterium or virus.
An equivalence class that includes a specified function defined in an open neighborhood.
To germinate.
To grow, as if parasitic.