keím

Keím is a diacritic variant of the German noun Keim, used primarily in non-German contexts, decorative typography, or transliteration to indicate emphasis or pronunciation. The base word Keim means germ, seed, or embryo and is widely used in biology, botany, and related fields.

In standard German, Keim refers to a seed or embryo in plants, as well as a microorganism considered as a germ. It appears in compound terms such as Keimzelle (germ cell) and Keimbahn (germ line). The plural form in German is Keime. The sense of the word remains stable across scientific and everyday usage, with nuances depending on whether the context emphasizes biology, seed development, or microbiology.

The diacritic form keím is not part of conventional German orthography and is typically encountered only in specialized contexts. Its appearance may reflect typographic choices, edits for pronunciation in other languages, or branding. When encountered in surnames or brand names, keím or Keím may represent a stylistic spelling rather than a separate lexical entry.

See also: Keim (disambiguation), germ, seed, Keimzelle, Keimbahn.