Germ linked to eastern seaside resort (4)
I believe the answer is:
bude
'seaside resort' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'germ linked to eastern' is the wordplay.
'germ' becomes 'bud' (I've seen this in another clue).
'linked to' says to put letters next to each other.
'eastern' becomes 'e'.
'bud'+'e'='BUDE'
(Other definitions for bude that I've seen before include "seaside resort" , "Cornish beach resort" , "seaside location" .)