# areola

> English word · Noun · IPA /əˈɹi.ə.lə/ · frequency rank #62,679

## Definitions
1. The circular, darkly pigmented area surrounding a nipple; the areola mammae.
2. Any small circular area that is different from its immediate environment, such as the colored ring around the pupil of the eye (iris) or an inflamed region surrounding a pimple.
3. Any of the small spaces throughout areolar connective tissue.
4. Any of the small spaces between fibres of the tissues of certain lichens.
5. Small patches, bearing the spines and glochids characteristic of the stems of cacti.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin āreola (“small vacant space, garden”), diminutive of ārea. Doublet of areole.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/areola