areola

[ uh-ree-uh-luh ]

/ əˈri ə lə /

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

Nearby words

arensky, arensky, anton stepanovich, areo-, areocentric, areography, areola, areola mammae, areola umbilicus, areolar gland, areolar tissue, areolate

Origin of areola

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

Related forms

a·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

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

/ (əˈrɪələ) /

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 Forms

areolar 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

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 forms

a•re′o•lar null adj.