germ
noun uk/dʒɜːm/ us/dʒɝːm/
(ORGANISM)
C1 [ C usually plural ]病菌;细菌
a very small organism that causes disease
Wash your hands so you don't get germs on the food. 洗洗手，你就不会把细菌弄到食物上了。
Rats and flies spread germs. 老鼠和苍蝇传播病菌。
- More examples
- It says on the bottle that it kills all known germs.
- In warm weather these germs multiply rapidly.
- Cover your nose when you sneeze - we don't want all your germs!
- I dread to think how many germs are living in that filthy kitchen.
- Germs can be spread very easily in hospitals unless there are strict hygiene rules in place.
(AMOUNT)
germ of something C2 [ S ] （通常指发展成为巨大或重要事物）的发端，发源，萌芽
a small amount, usually one that develops into something large or important
He found the germ of an idea in an old newspaper. 他的想法萌生于一份旧报纸。
This was the germ of the story that would later become her wildly successful novel.
It's thought that this diary entry was the germ of the book.
It was as a result of this conversation that the germ of a new approach emerged.
And that, really, was the germ of the whole thesis.