sporopollenin

[ spawr-uh-pol-uh-nin ]

noun
  1. an inert, tough polymer forming the resistant outer coat of a pollen grain or spore.

Origin of sporopollenin

1
First recorded in 1930–35; sporo- + pollen + -in2

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

Scientific definitions for sporopollenin

sporopollenin

[ spôr′ə-pŏlə-nĭn ]


  1. An organic polymer that is extremely resistant to degradation. Pollen grains and many kinds of spores have a protective outer coating of sporopollenin, which is so durable that microfossils of sporopollenin are found in rocks over 500 million years old.

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