Thelium
/ˈθiː.li.əm/noun
A nipple or nipple-like structure, especially in anatomical terminology.
Did you know?Thelium comes from Ancient Greek thēlē, the word for nipple, and survives in scientific terms describing mammary development and nipple-like structures.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dhēi̯-
“To suckle or nurse; a proposed ancestral root associated with breastfeeding vocabulary”
Ancient Greek
Greek
θηλή (thēlē)
“Nipple or teat”
Late Greek
Greek
θηλίον (thēlion)
“A small nipple or nipple-like structure”
19th Century
New Latin
thelium
“A nipple; an anatomical term formed from Greek thēlē”
Modern English
English
thelium
“A nipple or nipple-like anatomical structure”
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