sporopollenin

[ spawr-uh-pol-uh-nin ]

noun

1. an inert, tough polymer forming the resistant outer coat of a pollen grain or spore.

sporopollenin

/ spôr′ə-pŏl′ə-nĭn /

1. An organic polymer that is extremely resistant to degradation. Pollen grains and many kinds of spores have a protective outer coating of sporopollenin, which is so durable that microfossils of sporopollenin are found in rocks over 500 million years old.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sporopollenin¹

First recorded in 1930–35; sporo- ( def ) + pollen ( def ) + -in ²( def )