germinate
/ˈdʒɜːmɪneɪt/verb
no obj.
1- (of a seed or spore) begin to grow and put out shoots after a period of dormancy（种子或孢子）发芽, 萌芽, 开始生长。
1.1
- with obj. cause (a seed or spore) to sprout in such a way使（种子或孢子）发芽, 使生长。
1.2
- figurative come into existence and develop〈喻〉开始存在; 形成, 滋长：
the idea germinated and slowly grew into an obsession.
这念头形成后慢慢变成了一桩挥之不去的心事。
派生词
germination
noungerminative
adjectivegerminator
noun词源
late 16th cent.: from Latin germinat- 'sprouted forth, budded', from the verb germinare, from germen, germin- 'sprout, seed'.