'germborne' is formed from 'germ' + 'borne'. 'germ' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'germen', where 'germen' meant 'sprout' or 'seed'; 'borne' comes from Old English 'beran' (via past participle forms) meaning 'to carry' or 'to bear'.

'germborne' developed as a compound (often written 'germ-borne') in modern English, especially after the 19th century when 'germ' began to be used to mean 'microorganism' or 'pathogen'; 'borne' is the past participle form of 'bear' (Old English 'beran'), giving the sense 'carried by'.

Initially, 'germ' primarily meant 'sprout' or 'seed'; from the 19th century it acquired the sense of 'microorganism, pathogen', so the compound came to mean 'carried by germs' in the modern sense.