areole
/ˈɛri.oʊl/
noun
- A small, specialized area on a cactus from which spines, hairs, or flowers grow.
- Each areole on the saguaro cactus can produce multiple spines.
- New flowers emerge from the areole during the blooming season.
- The botanist examined the areole to identify the species of cactus.
- A small, circular or ring-shaped area, such as a colored ring around a nipple or a spot on a leaf.
- The areole around the nipple darkens during pregnancy.
- The leaf had a tiny areole where the insect had bitten it.
- In anatomy, the areole is the pigmented area surrounding the nipple.