WORD FOR THE DAY

Your word for today is: germy, adj.

germy, adj.

Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈdʒəːmi/,  U.S. /ˈdʒərmi/

Etymology: <  germ n. + -y suffix1

 1.  Esp. of flour and cereal products: containing the germ (germ n. 2b) of the grain. Now rare.
In quot. 1868 as part of an extended metaphor.

1868 Christian Ambassador 1 93 Thus your manuscript treasures may be enriched by revision; the husk and chaff being thrown out on the second or third time of writing, and the solid and germy parts retained with valuable additions.

1882 Sci. Amer. Suppl. 30 Dec. 5920/2 Millers know that germy flour is low priced flour, and they are not very likely to reduce their profits by retaining the germ.
1918 Bull. U.S. Dept. Agric. No. 681. 10 It contains all of the flour, bran, and germy parts.

 2.  Full of germs or bacteria; unclean, unhygienic, insanitary; contaminated.

1884  D. Manson On Sulphur & Chalybeate Waters Strathpeffer Spa (ed. 5) i. 11 The Strathpeffer district has therefore a greater number of clear days overhead than London, without..the objectionable smoke, germy dust, and other impurities.

1933  D. Thomas Let. in Sel. Lett. (1966) 70 Remember this: each rose is wormy. And every lovely woman's germy.

1970 Guardian 6 Apr. 9/2 A natural slut can languish unwashed, hairy, germy and odorous.

2008  D. Voorhees Disgusting Things 74 So, what are the germiest parts of a typical office? The telephone is totally germ-laden, followed by the desktop, water fountain handle, microwave door handle, and keyboard.

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