Germination

(jūr-min-a's hun.) [From L. germinatio, a sprouting.) (Bot.) The first act of growth by an embryo plant. No seed will grow without moisture; hence seeds buried too deeply will not grow, but light is injurious. The root is developed first. The cotyledons, if not changed into leaves, rot away. G. is connected with the absorption of oxygen and the extrication of carbonic acid; it ceases when the latter begins to be decomposed. [s. 406]