nevus

noun ne·vus \ ˈnē-vəs \

Definition of nevus

plural nevi play \ˈnē-ˌvī\

: a congenital or acquired usually highly pigmented area on the skin that is either flat or raised : mole

Recent Examples of nevus from the Web

Marissa Dees, 28, recently opened up to the Daily Mail about her congenital melanocytic nevus, a disorder that leads to large birthmarks and moles.

— lily herman, Allure, "This Woman Was Mocked for Her Birthmarks — Now She's Speaking Out About Her Condition," 6 Sep. 2017
A Nightmare on Elm Street’ (1984), Mrs. Danvers’ large facial nevus in ‘

— the washington post, The Denver Post, "Movie villains are marked by bad skin conditions. Dermatologists aren’t happy.," 12 Apr. 2017
Durant, a retail IT consultant, had been diagnosed with a nevus – a usually harmless growth similar to a freckle – in his left eye in 2010.

— bruce henderson, charlotteobserver, "As studies of a rare eye cancer in a small town continue, the number of cases grows," 22 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nevus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of nevus

New Latin, from Latin naevus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1684

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Medical Dictionary

nevus

noun ne·vus

variants: or chiefly British naevus play \ˈnē-vəs\

medical Definition of nevus

plural nevi or chiefly British naevi play \-ˌvī\

: a congenital or acquired usually highly pigmented area on the skin that is either flat or raised : mole — see blue nevus, junctional nevus, spider nevus