plural nidi
ˈnī-ˌdī 
or niduses
or niduses
1
: a nest or breeding place
especially
: a place or substance in an animal or plant where bacteria or other organisms lodge and multiply
2
: a place where something originates, develops, or is located
Did you know?
Nidus literally means "nest" in Latin, and some of its relatives in English suggest this connection in a straightforward way. For example, we have nidification for the process of building a nest, and nidicolous, meaning "reared in a nest." But nidus itself, when used as an English word, is apt to refer to a place where bacteria lodge and multiply. Consequently, the extended use of nidus in English often has a negative connotation referring to a source of undesirable opinions or behaviors.
Examples of nidus in a Sentence
a type of contact lens that proved to be a nidus of infection
Recent Examples on the Web
The indisputably desirable goal of supporting walking, biking and bus-riding around an Uptown nidus was severely wounded.
—
Star Tribune, 30 Nov. 2020
To deliberately collapse and compress a lobe of lung, and with it, its nidus of festering infection.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 24 Mar. 2017
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Star Tribune, 30 Nov. 2020
To deliberately collapse and compress a lobe of lung, and with it, its nidus of festering infection.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 24 Mar. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Nidus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nidus. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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