'areole' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'areola', where 'area' meant 'space' and the diminutive suffix '-ola' meant 'small'.

'areole' changed from the Medieval Latin word 'areola' (and related Old French forms) and eventually became the modern English word 'areole'.

Initially it meant 'a small open space' in Latin-derived usage, but over time it has come to refer especially to small circular structures in botany or the small pigmented area in anatomy.