nipple
(nip′ĕl)
![](.//images/locked-audio.png)
1. The erectile protuberance at the tip of each breast from which the lactiferous ducts discharge. The nipple projects from the center of the more heavily pigmented areola. Both the nipple and the areola contain small sebaceous glands (Montgomery glands) that secrete a protective oily substance.
SYN: SEE: mammae papilla; SEE: teat
SEE: breast for illus
PATIENT CARE
Assessment: Instructions and demonstrations to help patients examine their own breasts should include inspecting the nipples and areolae for symmetry of shape, size, color, and texture and reporting any sign of retraction or evidence of discharge.
Pregnancy-related: Prenatal instructions about breast-feeding and postpartum breast care emphasize the signs to report promptly to the health care provider, e.g., nipple cracking, inversion, redness, or bleeding.
SEE: breast cancer; SEE: breast-feeding
2. An artificial substitute for a female nipple, used for bottle-feeding infants. Nipple-shaped pacifiers may be used to satisfy infant needs for sucking as a self-consoling activity.
There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.
Citation
Venes, Donald, editor. "Nipple." Taber's Medical Dictionary, 24th ed., F.A. Davis Company, 2021. Nursing Central, nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/762857/all/nipple.
Nipple. In: Venes DD, ed. Taber's Medical Dictionary. F.A. Davis Company; 2021. https://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/762857/all/nipple. Accessed September 7, 2024.
Nipple. (2021). In Venes, D. (Ed.), Taber's Medical Dictionary (24th ed.). F.A. Davis Company. https://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/762857/all/nipple
Nipple [Internet]. In: Venes DD, editors. Taber's Medical Dictionary. F.A. Davis Company; 2021. [cited 2024 September 07]. Available from: https://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/762857/all/nipple.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - ELEC
T1 - nipple
ID - 762857
ED - Venes,Donald,
BT - Taber's Medical Dictionary
UR - https://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/762857/all/nipple
PB - F.A. Davis Company
ET - 24
DB - Nursing Central
DP - Unbound Medicine
ER -