nidus

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The Word of the Day for April 24 is:

nidus   \NYE-dus\   noun 
     1 : a nest or breeding place; especially : a place or substance in an 
animal or plant where bacteria or other organisms lodge and multiply
   *2 : a place where something originates, develops, or is located

Example sentence:
     The college, with its focus on human ecology, is widely known as a nidus 
of environmental activism.

Did you know?
     The sciences use "nidus" to refer to a breeding ground, often a place 
where bacteria lodge and multiply. Thus, although it literally means "nest" in 
Latin, the word carries none of the positive connotations that "nest" has in 
English (such as "home"). Rather, a nidus is usually a source of infection or 
undesirable opinions or habits. But that hasn't kept other "nidus"-related 
words in English from referring to homier places, such as the nests where 
animals rear their young. We have "nidification," for the process of building a 
nest, and "nidicolous," meaning "reared in a nest."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.





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