Standard Lemma guide

pollinate

adj · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈpɒlɪneɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P AA1 L AH0 N EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Pollinose.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, natural-sciences, zoology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To apply pollen to (a stigma).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • pollinate plants
  • pollinate flowers
  • self-pollinate
  • Bees help pollinate flowers as they collect nectar.
  • Farmers often import bees to pollinate their crops.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

fertilize by transfering pollen

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pollenate, cross-pollinate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: inseminate, fecundate, fertilize, fertilise

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English pollin- Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh2tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātuslbor. English -ate English pollinate From pollin- (compound form of "pollen") + -ate (verb-forming suffix). From oblique stem of Latin pollen, pollinis.

Across languages

Translations

33 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: mbars — to apply pollen to
  • Albanian: pllenoj — to apply pollen to
  • Arabic: لَقَّحَ (laqqaḥa) — to apply pollen to
  • Asturian: polinizar — to apply pollen to
  • Bulgarian: опрашвам (oprašvam) — to apply pollen to
  • Catalan: pol·linitzar — to apply pollen to
  • Czech: opylit — to apply pollen to
  • Danish: bestøve — to apply pollen to
  • Finnish: pölyttää — to apply pollen to
  • French: polliniser — to apply pollen to
  • Galician: polinizar — to apply pollen to
  • Georgian: დამტვერვა (damṭverva) — to apply pollen to
  • Georgian: პოლინაცია (ṗolinacia) — to apply pollen to
  • German: bestäuben — to apply pollen to
  • Greek: επικονιάζω (epikoniázo) — to apply pollen to
  • Hindi: परागण (parāgaṇ) — to apply pollen to
  • Hungarian: beporoz — to apply pollen to
  • Ingrian: pöllyttää — to apply pollen to
  • Irish: pailnigh — to apply pollen to
  • Italian: impollinare — to apply pollen to
  • Māori: haenga — to apply pollen to
  • Polish: zapylać — to apply pollen to
  • Polish: zapylić — to apply pollen to
  • Portuguese: polinizar — to apply pollen to
  • Romanian: poleniza — to apply pollen to
  • Russian: опыля́ть (opyljátʹ) — to apply pollen to
  • Russian: опыли́ть (opylítʹ) — to apply pollen to
  • Spanish: polinizar — to apply pollen to
  • Swedish: pollinera — to apply pollen to
  • Thai: ผสมเกสร (pà-sǒm-gee-sɔ̌ɔn) — to apply pollen to
  • Ukrainian: запи́лювати (zapýljuvaty) — to apply pollen to
  • Ukrainian: запили́ти (zapylýty) — to apply pollen to
  • Vietnamese: thụ phấn — to apply pollen to