areole

American  

[air-ee-ohl] / ˈɛər iˌoʊl /

noun

Biology.

1. an areola.

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areole British  

/ ˈærɪəʊl /

noun

1. biology a space outlined on a surface, such as an area between veins on a leaf or on an insect's wing

2. a sunken area on a cactus from which spines, hairs, etc, arise

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Other Word Forms

• areolate adjective

Etymology

Origin of areole

1855–60; < French aréole < Latin āreola a small open space. See areola

Example Sentences

Tubercles dark green, conical, 1/3 in. long, ½ in. broad at base, naked at the point, but with four to six spines springing from the areole a little below the point; spines ash-coloured, stiff, black-tipped.

From Cactus Culture for Amateurs Being Descriptions of the Various Cactuses Grown in This Country, With Full and Practical Instructions for Their Successful Cultivation by Watson, W.

B, Wood cell a, and hexagonal areole and pore b.

From The Chain of Life in Geological Time A Sketch of the Origin and Succession of Animals and Plants by Dawson, Sir J. William