areola

[uh-ree-uh-luh]

noun, plural a·re·o·lae [uh-ree-uh-lee] /əˈri əˌli/, a·re·o·las. Biology.

a ring of color, as around the human nipple.

a small interstice, as between the fibers of connective tissue.

RELATED WORDS

halo, stoma

Origin of areola

1655–65; < Latin, equivalent to āre(a) area + -ola -ole¹

Related formsa·re·o·lar, adjectivea·re·o·late

[uh-ree-uh-lit, -leyt] /əˈri ə lɪt, -ˌleɪt/, a·re·o·lat·ed

[uh-ree-uh-ley-tid] /əˈri əˌleɪ tɪd/, adjectivear·e·o·la·tion

[air-ee-uh-ley-shuh n] /ˌɛər i əˈleɪ ʃən/, nounmul·ti·a·re·o·late, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for areolae

Historical Examples of areolae

Areolae that are retained in some older turtles are shed along with the epidermal layers formed in the first year or two of life.
Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz
John M. Legler

British Dictionary definitions for areolae

areola

noun plural -lae (-ˌliː) or -las

anatomy any small circular area, such as the pigmented ring around the human nipple or the inflamed area surrounding a pimple

Derived Formsareolar or areolate (əˈrɪəlɪt, -ˌleɪt), adjectiveareolation (əˌrɪəˈleɪʃən), noun

Word Origin for areola

C17: from Latin: diminutive of area

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for areolae

areola

"colored circle around a nipple," 1706, from Latin areola, literally "small area," diminutive of area (see area). Introduced in this sense 1605 by Swiss anatomist and botanist Caspar Bauhin (1560-1624).

Medicine definitions for areolae

areola

[ə-rē′ə-lə]

n. pl. a•re•o•las

A small area.

Any of numerous spaces or interstices in areolar tissue.

Areola mammae.

A pigmented, depigmented, or erythematous zone surrounding a papule, pustule, wheal, or cutaneous neoplasm.

Related formsa•re′o•lar null adj.