germ theory
nounUK /dʒɜːm ˈθɪəri/
US /dʒɜːrm ˈθɪri/
The idea that tiny living things called germs cause many diseases.
Thanks to germ theory, doctors started washing their hands before helping patients.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The scientific principle that specific microorganisms cause specific infectious diseases.
Germ theory replaced the old belief that bad air caused illness.
3. A foundational concept in medicine and public health explaining how infections spread.
Modern hospitals follow germ theory to prevent the spread of infections.
4. The historical shift in thinking that linked microbes to disease in the 1800s.
Pasteur and Koch helped prove germ theory through careful experiments.