germinant

/ˈdʒərmənənt/

Other forms: germinants

Something germinant is just starting to grow or develop, such as a sprouting seed. More metaphorically, a budding romance could be described as germinant.

The word germinant is derived from the Latin root germen, meaning "sprout" or "bud." As an adjective, it describes something that is just beginning to grow or emerge — a germinant seed, or germinant unrest among American colonists in the 1760s. As a noun, the word germinant refers to anything that causes or enables something to develop, as in "The bacteria produced spores after the introduction of a chemical germinant" or "Ignorance is the germinant of fear."

Definitions of germinant

1. noun

   anything, such as a chemical agent or a condition, that causes something else to begin growing and developing
2. adjective

   just beginning to grow or develop