pollen - The word pollen is derived from the Latin word meaning fine flour or dust. Pollen is a collective noun that is treated as singular. A single individual is a pollen grain. A pollen grain is a microscopic plant that carries the male genome, which is one-half the genetic complement of the parent plant. The pollen grain produces the sperm that fertilizes the ovum, or female genetic complement, of the plant. The fertilized ovum develops into a seed.