Meaning & use
pollination
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
The movement of pollen from the male part of a flower to the female part, so that the plant can produce seeds.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun: say 'Pollination happens...', not 'a pollination' unless you mean a type.
Patterns
- pollination of something
- pollination by something
- cross-pollination
Pollination is essential for many plants to make seeds and fruit.
Bees play a major role in the pollination of fruit trees.
Wind pollination is common in grasses and some trees.
Common combinations
- cross-pollination
- Cross-pollination between different varieties can create new plant types.
- pollination by insects
- The garden relies on pollination by insects for most of its flowers.
- wind pollination
- Wind pollination does not need animals to carry the pollen.
- pollination process
- The pollination process begins when a bee lands on a flower.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fertilization
- Fertilization is the later stage when male and female cells join; pollination is only the transfer of pollen.
Word family
- pollinate verb
- To carry pollen to a flower or plant.
- pollinator noun
- An animal or other agent that carries pollen.
- pollen noun
- The fine powder produced by flowers that contains male cells.
Commonly confused: pollination or pollution?
pollination vs pollution
Pollution means harmful substances in the environment; pollination is the plant process.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'pollination' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Pollination is the transfer of pollen, so sentence B is correct. A confuses it with pollution, C uses it as a verb, and D wrongly calls it an insect.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pollination”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.