pollen

Etymology

From Latin pollen (“fine flour”). (Used by Linnaeus in the 18th century to describe the spores produced in the anthers of flowers.)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɒlən/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑlən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒlən
• Hyphenation: pol‧len

Noun

Pollen grains on a flower.

pollen (usually uncountable, plural pollens)

1. Fine powder in general, fine flour (16th century usage documented by the OED; no longer common.)
   • "...and ther was good wyne of Gascoyne,... as well of pollen, as of other vitailes..." Froissart, Jean, 1338?-1410?; Berners, John Bourchier, Lord

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Bailey to this entry?)

2. A fine granular substance produced in flowers. Technically a collective term for pollen grains (microspores) produced in the anthers of flowering plants. (This specific usage dating from mid 18th century.)
   • 2013 May-June, Katrina G. Claw, “Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:

     In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual.

Etymology

From Latin pollen.

Noun

pollen n (singular definite pollenet, plural indefinite pollen)

1. (botany) pollen

References

• “pollen” in Den Danske Ordbog

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔlə(n)/
• Hyphenation: pol‧len

Etymology 1

From Latin pollen.

Etymology 2

From English poll.

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔ.lɛn/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

pollen m (plural pollens)

1. pollen

Further reading

• “pollen” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Verb

pollen (third-person singular simple present pollt, past tense pollte, past participle gepollt, auxiliary haben)

1. (computing) to poll, to periodically check the status of a device or variable.

Alternative forms

• pollis

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“flour, dust”); compare with pulvis and Ancient Greek πάλη (pálē, “the finest meal”, “any fine dust”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈpol.len/, [ˈpɔl.lẽ]

Noun

pollen n (genitive pollinis); third declension

1. (literally) flour, especially fine flour, milldust
2. (transferred sense) the (very) fine powder or dust of other things

   pollen piperis

   ground pepper [lit. powder of pepper]

   pollen tūris

   incense powder

   aliquid in pollen tundere

   to grind something into powder

References

• pollen in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• pollen in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• pollĕn in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette, page 1,195/1

Etymology

From Latin pollen

Noun

pollen n (definite singular pollenet)

1. (botany) pollen

References

• “pollen” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Etymology

From Latin pollen

Noun

pollen n (definite singular pollenet)

1. (botany) pollen

References

• “pollen” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Noun

pollen n (uncountable)

1. (botany) pollen