germinal.

1. At an early stage from which later growth or development can arise.

2. Relating to cells or tissues from which new growth or reproductive cells develop.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• germinal idea
• germinal stage

On the page

The letter contains the germinal idea of the later novel.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Normally non-gradable in both the early-originating and biological senses; no ordinary comparative or superlative. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: uncommon.