der Keim
Translation
germ, sprout, seed, origin
Examples
Der Keim beginnt im Frühling zu wachsen.
The sprout begins to grow in spring.
Man muss die Hände waschen, um Keime zu entfernen.
You have to wash your hands to remove germs.
Die Idee trug den Keim des Erfolgs in sich.
The idea carried the seed of success within it.
Grammar Patterns
the seed/germ of sth. der Keim von et3 The seed of doubt was sown.
to nip sth. in the bud et4 im Keim ersticken We must nip the problem in the bud.
Similar Words
Synonyms: Spross (sprout), Samen (seed), Erreger (pathogen); Antonyms: Desinfektion (disinfection)
Etymology
From Old High German 'kīmo', related to the verb 'keimen' (to sprout, germinate).
Memory Tips
A 'Keim' is something tiny that grows into something big, like a plant sprout, a disease (germ), or an idea.