Meanings
nounnidus (plural nidi or niduses)
- An aggregate of neurons.
- A nest for insects or small animals.
- A place of infection in an organism.
- An origin (originating point) for a phenomenon.
- A home or place to stay.
Certain seeds which are required to find a nidus for themselves under unfavourable circumstances have been supplied by nature with an apparatus of hooks, so that they will get a hold on very unreceptive surfaces.
1860, George Eliot, The Mill on the Floss
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁en-?
- Proto-Indo-European*ní
- Proto-Indo-European*sed-
- Proto-Indo-European*nisdós
- Proto-Italic*nisdos
- Latinnīdus
- Englishnidus
Borrowed from Latin nīdus (“nest”). Doublet of nye and nest.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with nidus
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
nidus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nidus
MLA
“nidus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nidus. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nidus,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nidus.
Source: nidus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.