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

In the philosophical movement, the outline of which we have suggested, what one may call the nidus of a new faith in Scripture had been prepared.

From An Outline of the History of Christian Thought Since Kant by Moore, Edward Caldwell

Modern science tells us that all diseases have their origin in certain germs which are everywhere present and which seek only a suitable nidus in which to propagate and flourish.

From The Story of a Piece of Coal What It Is, Whence It Comes, and Whither It Goes by Martin, Edward A.

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