It was one of those newsy chats about things people say. In this word confusion, the guy was talking about how much he loved to spread areola on french bread. Uh-huh.
He’s either a cannibal or confused about what can actually be spread on bread.
Know that aioli is a “fancy” type of mayonnaise made with garlic.
An areola is much, much more complex and all about the bumps and shapes. Most of us know an areola as the darker area surrounding the human nipple.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Aioli | Areola |
|---|---|
 |
 — |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun
Plural: aiolis, aïolis Alternative spelling: allioli, aïoli |
Noun
Plural: areolae, areolas, areole Alternative spelling: areole |
| Mayonnaise seasoned with garlic | [Anatomy] A small circular area, in particular the ring of pigmented skin surrounding a nipple
The colored part of the iris around the pupil of the eye Any small space in a tissue [Diatom] Pores in the silica shell of diatoms [Botany] Raised structure bearing spines on cacti [Botany] A round to polygonal part of a surface of a crustose lichen [Entomology] A small ring of color or gap in wing margin of insects [Biology] The hourglass pattern on the dorsal surface of the cephalothorax |
| Examples: | |
| Aioli is found in the cuisines of the Mediterranean coasts of Spain and France.
Aioli is fabulous served with fish and seafood and often with vegetables. Originating in the Mediterranean, aioli has several different versions with some using garlic and olive oil with salt or egg, lemon, and mustard. The basics of aioli is crushed garlic with some added salt to which olive oil is added a drop at a time. |
Now that I’ve had the baby my areolas have gotten darker.
“Always a provocateur, Doja opted to expose a sliver of each areola” (Jackson). Areola connective tissue, more commonly referred to as aerolar connective tissue, is a type of dense, irregular connective tissue found in the human body held together by a gel-like matrix providing a cushioning layer that prevents friction (Understanding). “The valve face of the diatom frustule is ornamented with areolae” (Diatoms). Figure 4 shows a “comparison of the areolar area (the minimum photosynthetic tissue area surrounded by veins) in leaf blades of C3 and C4 grasses” (Ueno). Common and painless, “areolar glands, or Montgomery glands, are small bumps on the areola that secrete oil for lubrication” (Gotter). “Xelpov‘s Grossman Areola Marker facilitates marking of the areola prior to incision” (Grossman). “The tubes or elongated spaces of which we have spoken, are not distended with any fluid, but are merely moistened in the same way as the areolas of ordinary areolar tissue” (Medico-Chirurgical, p 329.). “Almost all species of cactus have tufts of spines that develop from the areoles” (Benson). A dark rim on the areolae may form in areas where the hypothallus is exposed on some species of crustose lichens. “All these fossils have forewing venations typical of Acercaria sensu, with the following synapomorphies: a common stem R + M + CuA; a faint crossvein cua-cup; an areola postica; RP and M with few branches; few crossveins” (Prokop). The areola on the dorsal surface of the cephalothorax is situated along the midline of the carapace between the cervical groove and abdomen with its lateral margins defined by a pair of shallow concave grooves (Glossary). “Our results show that base angle, FEV, and areole shape changed during adaptive variation in leaf venation” (Chang). |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: areolar, areolate, multiareolate Noun: areolation |
|
| History of the Word: | |
| French aïoli, from the Provençal ai (garlic) + oli (oil). | Mid-17th century, in the sense small space or interstice, is from the Latin, literally meaning small open space, diminutive of mid-16th century (in the sense space allocated for a specific purpose), which is from the Latin, literally meaning vacant piece of level ground. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Aioli versus Areola
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Apple Dictionary.com
“Areola.” Wiktionary.org. 9 Mar 2024. Accessed 9 Apr 2024. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/areola#Derived_terms>.
Benson, Lyman, W John Kress, and Paul E Berry. “Cactaceae.” Britannica. n.d. Accessed 9 Apr 2024. <https://www.britannica.com/plant/Caryophyllales/Cactaceae#ref594853>.
Chang, H.T., R.M. Hao, and H. T. Wei. “Leaf Venation Variation and Phenotypic Plasticity in Response to Environmental Heterogeneity in Parrotia subaequalis, An Endemic and Endangered Tree Species from China.” Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University. MDPI. 4 May 2018. Accessed 9 Apr 2024. <https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/9/5/247>.
“Diatoms.” MIRACLE. University College London. n.d. Accessed 9 Apr 2024. <https://www.ucl.ac.uk/GeolSci/micropal/diatom.html>.
Dictionary.com: areola
“Glossary of Technical and Anatomical Terms.” My Water Quality. n.d. Accessed 9 Apr 2024. <https://mywaterquality.ca.gov/monitoring_council/collaboration_network/docs/cf_glossary.pdf>.
Gotter, Ana. Michael Weber, M.D. (medical rev.) “Pimple on the Nipple: Causes, Treatments, and More.” Healthline. Last updated 18 Sept 2018. Accessed 9 Apr 2024. <https://www.healthline.com/health/pimple-on-nipple>.
“Grossman Areola Marker.” Xelpov Surgical. n.d. Accessed 9 Apr 2024. <https://xelpovsurgical.com/product/grossman-areola-marker-2/>.
The Medico-Chirurgical Review. vol 51. Originally published 1847. Forgotten Books, 2018. <https://amzn.to/3VOgyyF>. Print.
Merriam-Webster: areola
Jackson, Hannah. “Nobody Needs to Ask Doja Cat Who She’s Wearing At the 2024 Grammys.” Vogue. 4 Feb 2024. Accessed 9 Apr 2024. <https://www.vogue.com/article/doja-cat-2024-grammys-dilara-findikoglu-sheer-dress>.
Marks, Dr Jay W. “Definition of Areola.” RxList. n.d. Accessed 9 Apr 2024. <https://www.rxlist.com/areola/definition.htm>.
Prokop, J., Pecharová, M., Garrouste, R. et al.. “Redefining the Extinct Orders Miomoptera and Hypoperlida as Stem Acercarian Insects.” BMC Evolutionary Biology, vol. 17, art. no. 205 (2017). Springer Nature. 25 Aug 2015. Accessed 9 Apr 2024. <https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-017-1039-3>. <https://bmcecolevol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12862-017-1039-3>.
Ueno, Osamu, Yukiko Kawano, Masataka Wakayama, and Tomoshiro Takeda. “Leaf Vascular Systems in C3 and C4 Grasses: A Two-dimensional Analysis.” PubMed Central. National Library of Medicine. Apr 2006. vol 97(4). Accessed 9 Apr 2024. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcl010. <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2803656/>.
“Understanding the Functions of Areolar Connective Tissue.” BYJU’S Biology. n.d. Accessed 9 Apr 2024. <https://byjus.com/biology/areolar-tissue/>.
Pinterest Photo Credits
Areolated Hairy Crab is courtesy of the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. Crab Cakes by Stu Spivack is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Flickr.
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