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areola - 6 dictionary results

a⋅re⋅o⋅la

  [uh-ree-uh-luh]
Use areola in a Sentence
–noun, plural -lae  [-lee] , -las. Biology.
1. a ring of color, as around the human nipple.
2. a small interstice, as between the fibers of connective tissue.
Origin:
1655–65; < L, equiv. to āre(a) area + -ola ole1

Related forms:
a⋅re⋅o⋅lar, adjective
a⋅re⋅o⋅late  [uh-ree-uh-lit, -leyt] , a⋅re⋅o⋅lat⋅ed  [uh-ree-uh-ley-tid] , adjective
ar⋅e⋅o⋅la⋅tion  [air-ee-uh-ley-shuhn] , noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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a·re·o·la   (ə-rē'ə-lə)   
n.   pl. a·re·o·lae (-lē') or a·re·o·las also ar·e·oles (-ōlz')
  1. areole
    1. Biology A small space or interstice in a tissue or part, such as the area bounded by small veins in a leaf or the wing of an insect.
    2. A small, specialized, cushionlike area on a cactus from which hairs, glochids, spines, branches, or flowers may arise.
  2. Anatomy A small ring of color around a center portion, as about the nipple of the breast or the part of the iris surrounding the pupil of the eye.

[Latin āreola, small open space, diminutive of ārea, open place; see area.]
a·re'o·lar, a·re'o·late (-lĭt) adj., a·re'o·la'tion n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Areola

A*re"o*la\, n.; pl. Areol[ae]. [L. areola, dim. of area: cf. F. ar['e]ole. See Area.]

1. An interstice or small space, as between the cracks of the surface in certain crustaceous lichens; or as between the fibers composing organs or vessels that interlace; or as between the nervures of an insect's wing.

2. (Anat. & Med.) The colored ring around the nipple, or around a vesicle or pustule.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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areola 
"colored circle around a nipple," 1706, from L., lit. "small area," dim. of area. Introduced in this sense 1605 by Swiss anatomist and botanist Caspar Bauhin (1560-1624).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: are·o·la
Pronunciation: &-'rE-&-l&
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural are·o·lae /-"lE/ or -las
: a small area between things or about something: as a : the colored ring around the nipple or around a vesicle or pustule b : the portion of the iris that borders the pupil of the eye
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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areola a·re·o·la (ə-rē'ə-lə)
n. pl. a·re·o·las or a·re·o·lae (-lē')

  1. A small area.
  2. Any of numerous spaces or interstices in areolar tissue.
  3. Areola mammae.
  4. A pigmented, depigmented, or erythematous zone surrounding a papule, pustule, wheal, or cutaneous neoplasm.
a·re'o·lar or a·re'o·late (-lĭt) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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