To sprout; to bud; to shoot; to begin to vegetate, as a plant or its seed; to begin to develop, as a germ
If an idea, plan, or feeling germinates, it comes into existence and begins to develop. He wrote to Eliot about a `big book' that was germinating in his mind
If a seed germinates or if it is germinated, it starts to grow. Some seed varieties germinate fast, so check every day or so First, the researchers germinated the seeds. + germination ger·mi·na·tion The poor germination of your seed could be because the soil was too cold