Annuli

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A collection of circular bands or rings, typically found in natural formations or anatomical structures
2. Referring to the multiple layered structures that encircle an object, particularly in biology or geology
3. Denoting several ring-like formations that can be counted or measured, often associated with growth or segmentation in different contexts

Etymology: "Annuli" is the plural of "annulus," a Latin word meaning "little ring," a diminutive of "anulus," the ring. English took the plural form directly from Medieval Latin "ānnulī," so the word arrived as a learned borrowing rather than through everyday speech. Its core idea is simply the ring shape, which is why it fits so naturally when scientists describe something that circles around a central point. The Latin root is also the source of "annular," used for ring-shaped things, and "annulment," which comes from the same ring image through the sense of a circle being closed or cancelled in legal usage. The word therefore belongs to a small family built on one picture: a circle with no beginning or end.

Synonyms: rings, circles