pollen

[ pol-uh n ]
/ ˈpɒl ən /

noun

the fertilizing element of flowering plants, consisting of fine, powdery, yellowish grains or spores, sometimes in masses.

verb (used with object)

to pollinate.

Origin of pollen

1515–25; < New Latin, special use of Latin: fine flour, mill dust

OTHER WORDS FROM pollen

pol·len·less, adjective pol·len·like, adjective pol·lin·ic [puh-lin-ik] /pəˈlɪn ɪk/, pol·lin·i·cal, adjective un·pol·lened, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for pollen

British Dictionary definitions for pollen (1 of 2)

pollen
/ (ˈpɒlən) /

noun

a fine powdery substance produced by the anthers of seed-bearing plants, consisting of numerous fine grains containing the male gametes

Derived forms of pollen

pollinic (pəˈlɪnɪk), adjective

Word Origin for pollen

C16: from Latin: powder; compare Greek palē pollen

British Dictionary definitions for pollen (2 of 2)

Pollen
/ (ˈpɒlən) /

noun

Daniel. 1813–96, New Zealand statesman, born in Ireland: prime minister of New Zealand (1876)

Medical definitions for pollen

pollen
[ pŏlən ]

n.

Microspores of seed plants carried by wind or insects prior to fertilization.

Scientific definitions for pollen

pollen
[ pŏlən ]

Powdery grains that contain the male reproductive cells of most plants. In gymnosperms, pollen is produced by male cones or conelike structures. In angiosperms, pollen is produced by the anthers at the end of stamens in flowers. Each pollen grain contains a generative cell, which divides into two nuclei (one of which fertilizes the egg), and a tube cell, which grows into a pollen tube to conduct the generative cell or the nuclei into the ovule. The pollen grain is the male gametophyte generation of seed-bearing plants. In gymnosperms, each pollen grain also contains two sterile cells (called prothallial cells), thought to be remnants of the vegetative tissue of the male gametophyte.

Cultural definitions for pollen

pollen

The male sex cells in plants. In flowering plants, pollen is produced in thin filaments in the flower called stamens. (See fertilization and pollination.)

notes for pollen

When pollen is carried into the air by the wind, it frequently causes allergic reactions ( see allergy) in humans.