Nipple

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈnɪ.p(ə)l/

Definitions

1. A small, elevated structure on the body that facilitates nursing and serves as the outlet for milk in mammals
2. An anatomical feature found on the surface of breasts in females, allowing for the transfer of milk to offspring
3. A small protrusion on the body that plays a vital role in lactation and serves as a sensory organ in various mammals

Etymology: The word "nipple" is a diminutive of "nib," meaning "tip" or "point," so its literal sense is "little tip." The "-le" ending is a diminutive suffix, the same one found in words like "dazzle" and "sparkle" in its older forms, and the base "nib" is itself related to "neb," an older word for a beak or the nose of a face. The result is a name that describes the body part by its shape: a small projection rising from a flat surface. The most striking piece of the history is the Old English word "nypel," which meant an elephant's trunk. Early English speakers used the same pattern to name any protrusion that stuck out from a surface, so the anatomical sense is one application of a broader descriptive habit rather than a special term created for breasts. The word appears in English in the form "neple" and related spellings in the late Middle English period, and the spelling settled into its modern form over the following centuries.

Synonyms: teat, papilla