pollinate
/'pɔlineit/
Definition
- Verb:
- To fertilize a plant by transferring pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma, enabling the production of seeds and fruit.
Usage
- The verb "pollinate" describes the biological process crucial for plant reproduction.
- It is typically used with a subject (the agent doing the pollinating) and an object (the plant being fertilized).
- Common agents include insects, birds, wind, and humans.
Examples
- Verb:
- Bees pollinate many of our food crops.
- The farmer used a small brush to manually pollinate the tomato flowers in the greenhouse.
- This particular orchid can only be pollinated by a specific type of moth.
Advanced Usage
- "to be pollinated by": Indicates the specific agent that performs the pollination.
- The flowers are primarily pollinated by hummingbirds.
- "cross-pollinate": To transfer pollen from the flower of one plant to the flower of another plant of the same species. (Note: This is a compound word listed separately as a variant).
- These apple trees need another variety nearby to cross-pollinate.
Variants and Related Words
- Pollination (n): The act or process of pollinating.
- Insect pollination is vital for the ecosystem.
- Pollinator (n): An agent that pollinates, such as a bee or bat.
- The decline in bee populations threatens important pollinators.
- Cross-pollinate (v): As defined in Advanced Usage.
- Self-pollinate (v): To fertilize itself; for a flower to be pollinated by its own pollen.
Synonyms
- Fertilize (in the specific botanical context of transferring pollen).
- Dust (in a less technical sense, e.g., "bees dusting flowers").
Antonyms
- Sterilize (to make incapable of reproduction).
Verb
-
fertilize by transfering pollen
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