nidus
/ˈnʌɪdəs
/noun (plural nidi /ˈnʌɪdʌɪ/ or niduses) chiefly technical
1A place in which something is formed or deposited; a site of origin: figurative many models of society see the main nidus of struggle residing in the sphere of production...
- Joni had been the central nidus of her misery from Form One to Form Three.
- Precipitated bilirubin may form a nidus for subsequent cholesterol deposition.
- With Helen at the core, his nidus, Don's shiniest facet was as a family man.
1.1 Medicine A place in which bacteria have multiplied or may multiply; a focus of infection.The central venous catheter, or an associated thrombus, can act as a nidus for infection....
- Conversely, their longer degradation periods could lead to prolonged discomfort from foreign material that could also provide a nidus for infection.
- They are predisposed to preoperative airway colonization and altered host defenses, thus creating a nidus for postoperative infection.
Origin
Late 17th century (in the former sense 'place in which an insect deposits its eggs'): from Latin, literally 'nest'.