'nipple-areola' is a compound formed from 'nipple' and 'areola'. 'nipple' originates from Old English, specifically words like 'nypele' or 'nyppol' referring to a small projection on the breast; 'areola' originates from Latin 'areola', a diminutive of 'area' meaning 'open space' or 'small area'.

'nipple' passed from Old English 'nypele/nyppol' into Middle English forms such as 'nipple' and eventually became the modern English 'nipple'. 'areola' entered English from Latin (via New Latin/medical Latin) as the Latin term 'areola' was adopted into anatomical vocabulary and preserved its form in modern English.

Originally, 'nipple' denoted a small projection and 'areola' denoted a small area or space; over time both terms became specialized in anatomy to refer specifically to the breast's projecting nipple and the surrounding pigmented ring, now often combined conceptually as the 'nipple-areola' unit.