'pollen-coated' originates from the combination of 'pollen' and 'coated', where 'pollen' refers to the fine powdery substance, and 'coated' means covered with a layer.

'pollen' comes from the Latin word 'pollen', meaning 'fine flour', and 'coated' is derived from the Old French 'coter', meaning 'to cover'.

Initially, 'pollen-coated' simply described something covered in pollen, and this meaning has remained consistent.