Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pollinator” come from?

Pollinator comes from English pollinate, which derives from English pollen, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -tós, a suffix forming agent nouns.

pollinator (English): the agent that pollinates a plant; often an...

Definitions

  1. the agent that pollinates a plant; often an...

Ancestry of “pollinator”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpollinateTo apply pollen to; Pollinose
2English-atehaving the specified thing; characterized by the...
3English-cyUsed to form nouns of state, condition or quality...
4Anglo-Norman-cie—
5Latin-tiaoffice, rank
6Latin-iaUsed to form a feminine abstract noun, usually...
7Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
8Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
9Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →