pollinate

/ˌpɑləˈneɪt/

/ˈpɒlɪneɪt/

Other forms: pollinated; pollinating; pollinates

To pollinate is to move the pollen from one plant to another. When a bee, for example, pollinates a flower, it helps the plant reproduce. You know what they say about the birds and the bees...

In some cases, plants pollinate with the help of the wind, while often it takes an insect or bird moving the grainy substance called pollen between plants. This process involves pollen being transferred to the female parts of a plant, where fertilization takes place. Pollinate comes from the Latin word pollination, and its root, pollen, or "fine flour."

Definitions of pollinate

1. verb

   fertilize by transfering pollen
   synonyms: cross-pollinate, pollenate

   type of:

   fecundate, fertilise, fertilize, inseminate

   introduce semen into (a female)