[ad_1] 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.
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
“colored circle around a nipple,” 1706, from Latin areola, literally “small area,” diminutive of area (see area). Introduced in this sense 1605 by Swiss anatomist and botanist Caspar Bauhin (1560-1624).
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.