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pollen grain
noun
: one of the granular microspores that occur in pollen and give rise to the male gametophyte of a seed plant
Examples of pollen grain in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
During the spring, summer and fall, plants release pollen grains to fertilize other plants.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 7 May 2024
The majority of the pollen that causes your allergies comes from trees, grasses and weeds, which make small and dry pollen grains that travel in the wind.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 7 May 2024
As a result of this and other unusual qualities, everything that falls into the lake, from pollen grains to radioactive particles, gets preserved in layers of sediment that can be very precisely dated.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
So far, the peak daily count was 1,171 pollen grains per cubic meter of air measured in early March.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024
That wind picks up respiratory irritants such as pollen grains, fungal spores and air pollutants, including particulate matter.
—Elana Spivack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2023
Pollen count means how much pollen is in the air - it is measured by the number of pollen grains in a specific unit of air.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 6 May 2023
Maybe my hairy body is like a drone’s: eating pollen grains from a thousand flowers,
spreading nectar across the comb in darkness,
then flapping my wings to dry up the water
and hasten the creation of viscous honey.
—Henri Cole, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
Adeyeye further explains that rain can also rupture the pollen grains, breaking them into smaller particles or releasing their contents into the air.
—Elana Spivack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pollen grain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1835, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near pollen grain
Cite this Entry
“Pollen grain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pollen%20grain. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
pollen grain
noun
: one of the microscopic grains of which pollen is made up
More from Merriam-Webster on pollen grain
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pollen grain
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