pollen

pollen

See also: Pollen and pol·len

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin pollen (fine flour),[1] used by Carl 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 (usually uncountable, plural pollens)

  1. A fine, granular substance produced in flowers.
  2. (botany) Pollen grains (microspores) produced in the anthers of flowering plants. [from 1723][1]
    • 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.
  3. (obsolete) Fine powder in general, fine flour. [from 1523][1]
    • 1523–1525, John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners, Froissart's Chronicles[1], translation of original by Jean Froissart:
      and ther was good wyne of Gascoyne, [] as well of pollen, as of other vitailes
    • 1796, C. Lorimer, A Letter to the Honourable the Corn Commitee, on the Importation of Rough Rice, as a Supplement to Wheat Flour, London: [] T[homas] Becket, [], →OCLC, page 5:
      The bran, pollen and gurgions of this grain will be profitable to the miller; []

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

pollen (third-person singular simple present pollens, present participle pollening, simple past and past participle pollened)

  1. (transitive, poetic) To cover with, or as if with, pollen.

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 pollen, n.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Danish

Etymology

From Latin pollen.

Noun

pollen n (singular definite pollenet, plural indefinite pollen)

  1. (botany) pollen

References

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈpɔ.lə(n)/
  • Hyphenation: pol‧len
  • Rhymes: -ɔlən

Etymology 1

From Latin pollen.

Noun

pollen n (uncountable, no diminutive)

  1. pollen
Usage notes

The common term in Dutch is stuifmeel. The term pollen is found in biology texts, but is furthermore in common use when identifying the causative agent of hay fever. In that sense, the word is often mistakenly construed as being plural (“Tranende, jeukende ogen en een loopneus: pollen zijn geen pretje”, Metro, 29 February 2016; “Er hangen al pollen in de lucht: hooikoortsseizoen is begonnen”, Het Laatste Nieuws, 10 January 2018; “Pollen kunnen nu al voor hooikoorts zorgen”, De Telegraaf, 22 December 2018).

Synonyms

Etymology 2

From English poll.

Verb

pollen

  1. (computing) to poll, to periodically check the status of a device or variable
Conjugation
Conjugation of pollen (weak)
infinitive pollen
past singular pollde
past participle gepolld
infinitive pollen
gerund pollen n
present tense past tense
1st person singular poll pollde
2nd person sing. (jij) pollt, poll2 pollde
2nd person sing. (u) pollt pollde
2nd person sing. (gij) pollt pollde
3rd person singular pollt pollde
plural pollen pollden
subjunctive sing.1 polle pollde
subjunctive plur.1 pollen pollden
imperative sing. poll
imperative plur.1 pollt
participles pollend gepolld
1) Archaic. 2) In case of inversion.

Etymology 3

Noun

pollen

  1. plural of pol

French

Etymology

    Learned borrowing from Latin pollen.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /pɔ.lɛn/
    • Audio:(file)

    Noun

    pollen m (plural pollens)

    1. pollen

    Derived terms

    See also

    Further reading

    German

    Verb

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

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

    Conjugation

    Latin

    Alternative forms

    Etymology

    Probably from a Proto-Indo-European *pel- (flour, dust); compare with Ancient Greek πάλη (pálē, the finest meal; any fine dust), as well as pulvis (though De Vaan is skeptical of the latter link).[1]

    Pronunciation

    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 piperisground pepper (literally, “powder of pepper”)
      pollen tūrisincense powder
      aliquid in pollen tundereto grind something into powder

    Declension

    Third-declension noun (neuter, imparisyllabic non-i-stem).

    singular plural
    nominative pollen pollina
    genitive pollinis pollinum
    dative pollinī pollinibus
    accusative pollen pollina
    ablative polline pollinibus
    vocative pollen pollina

    Synonyms

    • (transferred sense: fine powder or dust): pulvis

    Derived terms

    Descendants

    • Insular Romance:
      • Sardinian: poddine, poddini
    • Italo-Romance:
      • Italian: polline
      • Neapolitan: ponila (Taranto), ponnula (Lecce)

    Borrowings:

    References

    1. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “pollen, -inis”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 477

    Further reading

    Norwegian Bokmål

    Etymology

    From Latin pollen.

    Noun

    pollen n (definite singular pollenet)

    1. (botany) pollen

    References

    Norwegian Nynorsk

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈpɔlːn̩/

    Etymology 1

    From Latin pollen.

    Noun

    pollen n (definite singular pollenet)

    1. (botany) pollen

    Etymology 2

    Noun

    pollen m

    1. definite singular of poll

    References

    Swedish

    Noun

    pollen n (uncountable)

    1. (botany) pollen

    Declension

    Declension of pollen
    nominative genitive
    singular indefinite pollen pollens
    definite pollenet pollenets
    plural indefinite
    definite

    Derived terms

    • pollenallergi (pollen allergy)
    • pollenallergiker (someone allergic to pollen)

    References