Germinate \Ger"mi*nate\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Germinated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Germinating}.] [L. germinatus, p. p. of germinare to sprout, fr. germen. See {Germ}.] To sprout; to bud; to shoot; to begin to vegetate, as a plant or its seed; to begin to develop, as a germ. --Bacon.