pollinate
/ˈpɒl.ɪ.neɪt/ IELTSAcademic
verb
- 1.
to move pollen from the male part of a flower to the female part, so the plant can make seeds or fruit. This can happen by insects, wind, or by people helping.
- Bees pollinate many fruit trees.
- Farmers sometimes pollinate flowers by hand.
- 2.
to spread an idea, style, or feeling to other people or places. This is a figurative use.
- Social media can pollinate new trends quickly.
- The teacher's ideas pollinated the whole class.
Adinary Nuance
Pollinate is more specific than words like fertilize or help. It focuses on moving pollen, not just on making a plant grow or reproduce. In everyday English, it is usually used about flowers, crops, bees, and farming. In the figurative sense, it means to spread ideas from one place to another.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- thụ phấn
- Spanish
- polinizar
- Chinese
- 授粉
- Japanese
- 受粉させる
- Korean
- 수분시키다
Etymology
Pollinate comes from Latin pollen, meaning 'fine flour' or 'dust'. It entered English in the 19th century, first for plants and later for figurative use.
Common phrases
pollinate flowerspollinate cropspollinate by handcross-pollinate plants
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is pollinate used more in science or everyday English?
- It is common in science, farming, and nature topics. People also use it in a figurative way for ideas.
- What is the difference between pollinate and fertilize?
- Pollinate means moving pollen. Fertilize means helping a plant produce seeds or fruit, often after pollination.
- Can people pollinate plants by hand?
- Yes. Farmers and gardeners sometimes do this when insects are not enough.
- Is pollinate a common IELTS word?
- Yes, it can appear in reading passages about plants, farming, or the environment.