pollen

American  

[pol-uhn] / ˈpɒl ən /

noun

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

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verb (used with object)

1. to pollinate.

pollen ¹ British  

/ pəˈlɪnɪk, ˈpɒlən /

noun

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

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Pollen ² British  

/ ˈpɒlən /

noun

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

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pollen Scientific  

/ pŏl′ən /

1. 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.

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pollen Cultural  

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

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Discover More

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

Other Word Forms

• pollenless adjective
• pollenlike adjective
• pollinic adjective
• pollinical adjective
• unpollened adjective

Etymology

Origin of pollen

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

Example Sentences

Honeybees rely on pollen as their main food source.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026

It was hard to keep the pollen out of the porch, and even harder to keep people in.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

Additional experiments showed that it can also infect several other algae species and can even feed on pollen grains.

From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2026

The early season warmth will be welcomed by many, but not if you suffer from tree pollen.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

There were gnats at the mouth, little flecks of pollen drifting above the nose.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

Related Words

• antigen
• dander
• irritant
• ragweed