pollen
pollen Lexical Profile
pollen Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A fine, powdery substance, typically yellow, consisting of microscopic grains discharged from the male part of a flower or from a male cone, each grain containing a male gamete capable of fertilizing the female ovule.
"The bees flew from blossom to blossom, their hind legs heavy with bright yellow pollen."
• verb
To cover, dust, or convey pollen to (a flower or plant); to pollinate.
"The orchard keeper used a small brush to carefully pollen the delicate fruit blossoms by hand."
• Rhymes for pollen
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 16th century directly from Latin 'pollen', meaning 'fine flour' or 'mill-dust', which shares an ancient root with 'pulvis' (dust or powder). It was adopted into modern scientific usage in the 18th century by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus to describe the fertilizing powder of flowers.