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.

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

British Dictionary definitions for areolar

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 areolar

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.