nidus

American  

[nahy-duhs] / ˈnaɪ dəs /

noun

plural

nidi

1. a nest, especially one in which insects, spiders, etc., deposit their eggs.

2. a place or point in an organism where a germ or other organism can develop or breed.

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nidus British  

/ ˈnaɪdəs /

noun

1. the nest in which insects or spiders deposit their eggs

2. pathol a focus of infection

3. a cavity in which plant spores develop

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Other Word Forms

• nidal adjective

Etymology

Origin of nidus

1735–45; < Latin nīdus nest

Example Sentences

Among them, occasionally, an underlying structural abnormality in the brain can be the nidus for electrical disarray.

From New York Times • Sep. 25, 2019

The S.D.P., however, had the advantage of being able to coalesce around the nidus of a small, old, still breathing third party, the Liberals.

From Time Magazine Archive

If tuberculous patients then strain at stool, little abrasions of the mucous membrane of the rectum are caused in which tubercle bacilli find a favorable nidus.

From Psychotherapy by Walsh, James J. (James Joseph)

But surely there was a germ of evil in the thing, and this germ found a nidus, found a nest in Gehazi's soul, in which to hatch its evil brood.

From Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known Characters by Milligan, George

It should not be forgotten that py�mia is an infectious disease, having its origin in a local nidus, an open wound, in which putrefaction of pus or other wound-fluid is taking place.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various