Nipples

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Anatomically sensitive tissues on the surface of the breast that can vary in size and prominence across individuals
2. Small protrusions found on mammary glands that can serve various functions, including lactation and sexual attraction
3. External structures on the body that play a role in breastfeeding and may also have tactile sensitivity associated with them

Etymology: The plural "nipples" is simply the form of "nipple," so the story belongs to the singular. "Nipple" is believed to be a diminutive of "nib" or "neb," an older English word meaning "tip" or "point," with the "-le" ending making it a little tip. The word "neb" survives in the beak of a bird, and "nib" still names the point of a pen. The word's earliest recorded spellings, such as "neple," "nypil," and "neble," show how it was shaped by that diminutive ending. Old English had a similar coinage, "nypel," meaning "elephant trunk," formed the same way as a protrusion from one's "neb." The pattern shows that the sense of a small projecting tip was already at work in the language long before the anatomical meaning took hold.

Synonyms: teats, mammary glands, nipple-like structures, suckling points, breast tips