pollen-sterile
|pol-len-ster-ile|
🇺🇸
/ˈpɑlənˈstɛrəl/
🇬🇧
/ˈpɒlənˈstɛraɪl/
pollen is infertile
Etymology
'pollen-sterile' originates from modern English as a compound of 'pollen' and 'sterile'; 'pollen' ultimately comes from Latin 'pollen' meaning 'fine flour' or 'dust', and 'sterile' comes from Latin 'sterilis' meaning 'barren'.
'pollen' passed from Latin 'pollen' into Middle English with meanings related to fine dust or flour; 'sterilis' passed through Old French/Middle English as 'sterile' and retained the sense 'barren' or 'unproductive'. The compound 'pollen-sterile' was formed in botanical English (19th–20th century) to describe plants with nonfunctional pollen.
Individually, 'pollen' originally meant 'fine flour/dust' and 'sterile' meant 'barren'; combined in modern botanical usage they specifically denote the condition 'producing infertile pollen' or 'unable to fertilize via pollen'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the condition or state of being pollen-sterile; lack of viable pollen (noun form derived from the adjective).
Pollen sterility in some cultivars limits self-pollination and affects fruit set.
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Adjective 1
having pollen that is infertile or incapable of producing viable male gametes; producing nonfunctional pollen (botanical term).
The hybrid line was pollen-sterile and required pollen from a different cultivar for seed production.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/28 15:32