mammilla

IPA/mamˈɪlə/
IPA/mæmˈɪlə/

mammilla — noun

1. the small raised tip at the centre of a breast, through which a baby drinks milk

1.nounC2
Definition

the small raised tip at the centre of a breast, through which a baby drinks milk; used mainly in medical writing.

Example

The anatomy textbook showed how each mammilla is surrounded by a darker ring of skin called the areola.

medical register; mammilla + areola as paired anatomical terms

Dr. Nkechi taught the students to examine the mammilla gently while checking for unusual lumps in the breast.

clinical examination context; collocation: examine the mammilla

Common collocations
  • the left/right mammilla
  • around the mammilla
  • examine the mammilla
  • the mammilla and areola
Synonyms
  • nipple

    everyday English equivalent; far more common in non-medical writing

  • teat

    used mainly for the nipple of an animal, or for a baby's bottle

  • papilla

    broader medical term for any small nipple-shaped projection on the body, not only on a breast

Grammar Patterns

the mammilla of [a body part]

Usage Note

Strictly clinical or anatomical; in everyday speech English speakers say 'nipple'. Often paired with 'areola' (the darker ring of skin around it) in medical contexts.

Common Mistakes

The baby drank from the mother's mammilla.
The baby drank from the mother's nipple.
'mammilla' belongs to medical writing; ordinary descriptions use 'nipple'.
mamilla' (one m in the middle)
mammilla' (double m)
in English the standard spelling has two m's, though Latin spelled it with one.

Word family

  • mammillary
    adjectiveC2
  • mammary
    adjectiveC1
  • mammal
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words point to the same small raised tip on a breast or chest, but they sit in very different settings. 'Nipple' is the everyday English word and works for people, animals and even baby bottles; readers see it in cookbooks, parenting guides and ordinary speech. 'Teat' usually describes the nipple of a cow, goat or other animal, or the rubber tip of a feeding bottle, and sounds odd when used for people. 'Mammilla' is strictly medical or anatomical: doctors and textbook writers choose it to sound precise and neutral, often pairing it with 'areola' (the darker ring around it). 'Papilla' is the broadest scientific word, naming any small nipple-shaped bump on the body, such as the tiny bumps on the tongue, not only the one on a breast.

mammilla ↗nipple ↗teat ↗papilla

Common collocations

Nouns

  • mammilla and areola
  • the centre of the mammilla
  • the tip of the mammilla

Phrases

  • examine the mammilla
  • the left/right mammilla

Prepositions

  • around the mammilla
  • beside the mammilla
  • above the mammilla

Etymology

LatinMedical LatinEnglish

Comes from Latin 'mammilla', a small form of 'mamma' meaning 'breast'. English took it directly from medical Latin in the seventeenth century, keeping the double 'm' that already appears in the Latin spelling. The same Latin root gives English 'mammal' (an animal that feeds its young with milk) and 'mammary' (relating to the breast).