nipple

A nipple is the part of the breast that sticks out at the center of the areola in mammals, as in Dogs have different numbers of nipples depending on size and breed. 

Nipple can also refer to something that resembles this body part, such as the end of a baby’s bottle or pacifier, as in Joe carefully put the nipple back on the baby’s bottle after filling it with milk. 

Example: The department store purchased a dozen mannequins that did not have nipples on their breasts.

The first records of nipple come from around 1520. It comes from the earlier words neble, nib(b)le, and nepil. It is possibly related to the word nib, meaning “a point.” The nipple is the central point of a breast or mammary gland.

In female mammals, the nipple is the end of the mammary gland and is what infants suck on to drink milk. For this reason, the nipples are often more pronounced in pregnant or nursing mothers. Because nursing is a trait exclusive to mammals, only mammals have nipples. In fact, the word mammal comes from the shared ability of mammals to nurse their young using mammary glands.

Male mammals (including humans) also have nipples, but male nipples serve no function.

In the United States, nudity laws and censorship standards often treat male and female nipples differently. American men are allowed to be shirtless in public and male nipples can be shown in the media. Some state laws and many local ordinances, however, ban American women from exposing their nipples in public, and female nipples are often censored in American media. This can make it difficult for a woman to feed her child in public.

What are some other forms related to nipple?

• nippleless (adjective)

What are some synonyms for nipple?

• teat

What are some words that share a root or word element with nipple? 

• nipple line
• nipple shield
• nipplewort

What are some words that often get used in discussing nipple?

• breast
• milk
• bottle
• pacifier

The word nipple is used to refer to a part of the body. As you might expect, this word is often used in discussions and descriptions of material that is not considered appropriate for children.

If you have/had your nipples pierced, would you recommend it or no? Like how had does it hurt

— Javia 🤎🀄️ (IG: @JaeAlissa) (@jaealissa_) October 25, 2020

Why are dogs bald on their stomachs ??? Cats have so much tummy fur and dogs r just bald & have their nipples out

— micica. (@Micica_) October 23, 2020

I tried with a bottle, but my guy prefers sippy and open cups! He’s almost 17 months now. I think it was nipple confusion but he still nurses when he wants too.

— kodi (@kodimacneil67) June 2, 2021