nevus

noun

ne·​vus ˈnē-vəs How to pronounce nevus (audio)
plural nevi ˈnē-ˌvī How to pronounce nevus (audio)
: a congenital or acquired usually highly pigmented area on the skin that is either flat or raised : mole

Examples of nevus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In adults, a Spitz nevus is usually darker in color, somewhere between brown and black.3 Where the Spitz nevus develops is often different for children and adults. Emily Brown, Mph, Verywell Health, 13 Aug. 2024 An atypical Spitz nevus may also be referred to as an atypical Spitz tumor. Emily Brown, Mph, Verywell Health, 13 Aug. 2024 Gloria Aste has amassed a following on TikTok by creating awareness for giant congenital melanocytic nevus — a birthmark that people often confuse for a blackout tattoo. Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 6 Feb. 2024 Unlike other eye freckles, a choroidal nevus occurs inside your eye. Anthea Levi, Health, 30 Oct. 2023 Ansley Martin didn’t start her TikTok account to talk about her giant congenital melanocytic nevus, a rare skin condition on her leg marked by dark lesions. Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 27 July 2023 To find the right signaling molecule, his team carefully isolated melanocytes from nevus tissues to study individually. Max G. Levy, WIRED, 12 July 2023 According to the US National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus resource, a mole—technically known as a nevus—is a growth on the skin that happens when cells called melanocytes grow in a cluster. Seraphina Seow, Health.com, 26 May 2021 Luna Fenner’s family will travel to Russia to have the girl treated for congenital melanocytic nevus, Luna’s mother, Carol Fenner, told Inside Edition. Char Adams, PEOPLE.com, 26 Sep. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nevus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin naevus

First Known Use

1684, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nevus was in 1684

Dictionary Entries Near nevus

Cite this Entry

“Nevus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nevus. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Medical Definition

nevus

noun
ne·​vus
variants or chiefly British naevus
plural nevi or chiefly British naevi -ˌvī How to pronounce nevus (audio)
: 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

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